Uncle from a poor family

Chapter 217 Welcoming Ceremony

Qin Zhao knew that the telescope and soap were indeed made by Zhang Yanling, and he also knew that in addition to these two tribute-level treasures, there were other practical products, so he immediately felt relieved.

It seems that the investment of five thousand taels of silver is well worth it.

As for when to start production, she is not in a hurry at all. When the time comes, the money will come rolling in.

Zhang Yanling had just seen Qin Zhao off and was leaving the teahouse with Zhang Heling, preparing to return home through the back door.

On the other side, Chai Meng had reached an agreement with several northern scholars, and the former Sichuan scholar Liu Chun had quietly left at some point.

After all, we are not on the same path!

In the dispute between the North and the South, students in the North care more... The main reason is that the northern imperial examinations have been suppressed by the South for several generations, and the northern scholars are resentful.

"Mr. Chai, it seems that you had a good chat with them. Do you plan to take the imperial examinations in the future, right?" Zhang Yanling asked on the way back.

Chai Meng smiled with shame, and said: "I didn't even have the nerve to tell them that I was a student. I just gave them a rough account of the past few examinations..."

Zhang Yanling nodded and said, "Don't talk too much with people you don't know well, especially when the other person doesn't know your background. The more mysterious the better. When scholars hold literary gatherings, they pay the most attention to the equality of status. Of course, the north and the south are incompatible, and in fact, it is difficult for scholars and students to get together."

Chai Meng sighed, "Who said it wasn't true? So from the beginning to the end, they didn't know my situation, and thought I passed the provincial examination at such a young age. They even expressed admiration for me, which is really shameful. I don't know how the examination will turn out. It is said that many famous scholars in the north took the exam, but I don't know who will be the top scorer in the end."

Zhang Yanling smiled and said, "Don't think about it. The top three should all be from the south. It's good news that a northern scholar can pass the imperial examination."

"what?"

Chai Meng was greatly surprised.

You, Zhang Yanling, are obviously from the north, and your father is a scholar from northern Zhili. Why do you look down on me, a northern scholar, so much?

Zhang Yanling was too lazy to explain to Chai Mengduo.

As far as he knew, in the last imperial examination of the Chenghua period, which was the current one, the top scorer Fei Hong was from Jiangxi, the second place Liu Chun was from Sichuan, and the third place Tu Rui was from Huguang, all from southern provinces.

It can be said that half of Huguang is located north of the Yangtze River, but in the Ming Dynasty, people from Huguang were usually considered to be from the south, especially Tu Rui, who was from Changsha Prefecture, which was originally south of the Yangtze River.

This is not only the case this time, but will be the case next time as well.

In the imperial examination, the same test paper was used. Without considering other factors, southern candidates had an absolute advantage in the Ming Dynasty.

Take Jiangxi as an example. During the Hongwu period, more than 800 Jinshi were admitted in six subjects, of which Jiangxi accounted for about 150, ranking second only to Zhejiang. From the second year of Emperor Jianwen to the eighth year of Emperor Yingzong of the Ming Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty admitted 5,100 Jinshi in 64 years, of which Jiangxi accounted for 1,000, which was about one-fifth of the quota. During the 276 years of the Ming Dynasty, Jiangxi cultivated more than 3,000 Jinshi.

There was a folk song in the Ming Dynasty to describe the splendor of literati in Jiangxi, "Three Jinshi in one family, two prime ministers across the river, three top scorers in five miles, nine provincial governors in ten miles, nine sons and ten prefects", which shows how bad the imperial examination situation was for northern scholars.

Of course, there is no way to avoid this. The economic base determines the superstructure. The economic center of Chinese civilization was once mainly in the Yellow River Basin. Unfortunately, due to the invasion of nomadic peoples in the north, Chinese civilization gradually moved southward. It was not until the Jingkang Change and the establishment of the capital in Lin'an during the Jianyan period that the situation of the southeast as the "granary of the world" was finally established. Jiangxi happened to catch the "express train" of this economic center transfer and was able to develop rapidly.

As the leading grain producing area in the Ming Dynasty, Jiangxi has always been the largest supplier of nano materials to the imperial court. In addition, Jiangxi also has the most advanced manufacturing industry of this era, and the famous Jingde Ceramics is located in Jiangxi.

The rapid economic development has led to a rapid improvement in material life. The people of Jiangxi are no longer troubled by material shortages, which has enabled more people to participate in reading and studying. It can be said that the rapid economic rise was the main reason behind the strong literary style of Jiangxi scholars during this period.

Of course, northern students like Chai Meng would never agree with this idea. Who would be willing to admit that their skills are inferior to others?

Although the existence of Zhang Yanling may change many people and things through the butterfly effect, the general trend will not change.

……

……

The wedding ceremony is in progress.

Inside Zhang's house.

Zhang Luan and his wife Jin had already put on their gorgeous clothes.

Shen Lu was helping to entertain the guests in front of the mansion, while Zhang Luan was still in the main hall, constantly telling Jin about the procedures for speaking and doing things after the prince's arrival.

"Hey, look at you, you silly woman. Aren't you usually called a lady from a noble family? Why is it that you always forget all these things I tell you?"

After teaching for a while, Zhang Luan soon lost his patience and started mumbling.

Jin's face darkened as she glared at her husband and asked, "Why didn't you teach me yesterday? In the past few days, when can I see you at home? You wait until the last minute to ask for help. Is that how you act?"

"Brother and sister-in-law, what are you arguing about?" Shen Lu came in from the gate of the courtyard and looked at the couple who were fighting with dark faces. He was speechless for a moment.

Your daughter is going to marry into the palace today, and yet you two are arguing here?
If someone sees this, won’t they laugh at you to death?
Zhang Luan said with a straight face, "I have taught her many times, but she just won't learn. I can't help but get angry. I'm sorry to let you learn from me."

Jin didn't want to make a fool of herself in front of outsiders, so she hurriedly said, "Don't mind his uncle, I'll take care of it here, you should go out and help greet the guests."

"well."

Shen Lu said, "I came in just to let you know that Minister Xu is here in person."

"Has my brother-in-law Xu Shiyong arrived?"

When Zhang Luan heard this, he immediately put down what he was doing and went out to greet them.

Jin grabbed his hand and shouted, "Why are you leaving? You haven't explained everything here clearly yet, don't blame me for getting angry!"

Zhang Luan waved his hand impatiently: "Then just say 'Your father has taught you, you should respectfully follow it', don't remember anything else, you won't be able to remember it anyway."

Just at this moment, the two brothers of the Zhang family came in.

Zhang Yanling suddenly felt that his father's irresponsible words sounded familiar. Then he thought, isn't this the message from the Crown Prince's mother in the process of marrying a concubine in the later generations recorded in the "Da Ming Hui Dian"?
If the feelings were finally recorded in the books, it was what you, Zhang, said casually in a fit of impatience.

You are really...

How irresponsible!

……

……

The number of guests in Zhang's house gradually increased.

Not only did his other uncle Xu Qiong come, but also his cousin Zhang Yin came. In addition, there were also some relatives of the Zhang family. Those who were a little resourceful came from their hometown Xingji after hearing that Zhang Luan was going to marry his daughter to be the Crown Princess.

Zhang Yanling even spotted Sun You in the crowd.

Zhang Yanling couldn't help but wonder, why did Sun You, who was almost going to be his sister's father-in-law, come to attend her wedding, but it felt like he came deliberately to ruin the party?

Zhang Luan generally greeted these guests with a smile.

Among all the government offices of the imperial court, only the Honglu Temple had someone come.

As the other officials were not familiar with the Zhang family, many came to send gifts, but not many came in person. After all, most of the high-ranking officials participated in the morning's prayer ceremony in the palace, and after leaving the palace, most of them went to their respective yamen. Only Xu Qiong, as a relative of the Zhang family, came to attend without too much taboo.

The Shuntian Prefecture actually sent people as well, and it was the prefect who brought the assistant judge and the prosecutor, giving the Zhang family enough face.

Then Li Zisheng specially asked someone to send gifts and wrote a congratulatory message.

Most of the local officials of Hejian Prefecture who were currently stranded in the capital have come, but they are low-ranking officials with little power and their influence is extremely limited.

For officials in Beijing, there was no need to meet the prince, after all, they had the opportunity to see him occasionally. But for local officials, it was a great honor to meet the prince.

Besides.

Many of Zhang Luan's classmates from the Imperial College also came, especially Cui Ru and others who had close contact and a certain friendship with Zhang Luan, all of whom brought gifts.

When the official from the Honglu Temple arrived, the historian who was responsible for recording the entire ceremony was already waiting beside him with his pen in hand.

Soon someone informed them that the prince would arrive at the gate of Zhang's residence in a quarter of an hour, and the etiquette of the bride's family for the welcoming ceremony officially began.

……

……

"On the day of the wedding, the concubine's family first displays the offerings in the ancestral hall. The concubine wears the Yanju crown and clothing. The concubine's parents lead the concubine to perform rituals in front of the ancestors, offer wine and read prayers. After the ceremony, the stewards bring wine and food to the inner hall. After the concubine has eaten and drunk, her parents sit in the main hall. The concubine leads the way in front of her parents and bows four times.

"The father ordered him, 'You should go to the palace, be diligent and careful, and be filial and respectful.' The mother ordered him, 'You should respectfully follow your father's instructions.'

After the concubine had listened and accepted, she went to pay respects to the elders. After that, she changed into a phoenix robe and waited for the emperor to come and welcome her..."

Although Zhang Yanling was the younger brother of the Crown Princess, he was not even a supporting role on the wedding day, because there was no design or arrangement for what the Crown Princess's younger brother should do in any etiquette, but this did not prevent him from acting as a witness of history. After all, in his own home, he would not be an eyesore wherever he stood.

Then we just wait for the prince to arrive.

"…The Crown Prince ascended the carriage, followed by the goose bearer. Music started, and the ceremonial attendants led the way. The attendants, officials' residences, official troops, and guides led the way from the East Chang'an Gate to the gate of the Concubine's house…"

"...The master of ceremonies invites the crown prince to enter the central hall. The crown prince goes first, followed by the eunuchs in full dress, holding geese, and the master of ceremonies goes behind. When they reach the central hall, the master of ceremonies stands on the left side of the hall, and the consort mother stands on the right side of the hall, facing east and west. The crown prince arrives at the central hall..."

Zhu Youtang carried out everything in strict accordance with the regulations. In fact, he himself did not know what to do. Apart from the specific agenda that Tan Ji and Jiang Cong had taught him in advance these days, he also just had to follow the instructions of the commending officer and proceed meticulously.

When the prince appeared at the gate of Zhang's mansion, Zhang Yanling, the time traveler, finally saw for the first time the appearance of this legendary wise monarch in history.

It was also the first time I saw clearly what the future Emperor Hongzhi looked like.

In general……

This guy is quite handsome, with fair and delicate skin, and doesn't look like a man at all.

But after all, whiteness can cover up three flaws.

In addition, Zhu Youtang also has his mother's handsomeness. The acne that used to burst out on his face has now faded, and is almost completely invisible under today's bright sunlight. That little appearance... can be regarded as a standard "pretty boy".

Good height, just a little thin...

Thinking about the fact that his sister had only been to the palace once and yet she had fallen in love with the young man in front of him, Zhang Yanling knew that the prince had some assets - not only was he the crown prince of the Ming Dynasty, it was also obvious how wealthy he was, and he was also a handsome pretty boy. In the words of later generations, he was a standard tall, rich and handsome man.

Just follow the steps for the welcoming ceremony.

"…Two female stewards led the concubine out of the room and stood under the concubine's mother. The eunuch led the crown prince to the table. The eunuch held a goose and knelt before the crown prince. The crown prince placed the goose on the table. The eunuch led the crown prince back a little, to the east, and stood facing west.

The person presiding over the wedding went to the goose table, performed eight bows, and then returned to his seat. The officiating officer cleared the table. The eunuch led the way, and the crown prince went first..."

This was the official meeting between the couple.

The next thing is that Zhu Youtang takes away the beauty he has been dreaming about.

Zhang Luan was not qualified to talk to the prince directly. He could only stand there and watch the beautiful female official from the palace lead his daughter to the prince.

When Zhu Youtang saw Zhang Yu, somehow his face turned red in the sunlight and his eyes were sparkling.

Of course, no one present would look at this carefully, only Zhang Yanling, who witnessed history, saw it clearly.

Hey.

The young man in front of me is quite shy.

It is said that when the prince gets married, the palace will arrange for maids to try out the marriage in the first two days, so that the prince will not know anything on his wedding day and lose face for the royal family...

It seems that when it comes to our crown prince Zhu Youtang, there are no arrangements in the palace.

"...The female steward led the concubine out. The eunuch knelt and invited the crown prince to the sedan chair, and asked him to lift the curtain, and the concubine got on the sedan chair. The eunuch asked the crown prince to get on the carriage and walk in front, and the concubine followed with the ceremonial guard..."

The young couple walked out of the door, and the Zhang family and guests followed them to the door. Seeing Zhang Yu getting on the sedan chair, Jin couldn't help but wipe away her tears.

Having raised a daughter for seventeen years, it was natural for a mother to give her away like this. She felt very sad.

However, Zhang Luan seemed carefree, as if it was no big deal for his daughter to marry into the palace.

The sedan chair started off.

Firecrackers went off.

However, these deafening firecrackers were not arranged by the Zhang family, but were prepared in advance by neighbors and merchants from near and far. They were set off at the critical moment, with the intention of building momentum for the court.

"…Entering from the East Chang'an Gate to the outside of the Meridian Gate, the imperial carriage, guards, official residences, and official troops all stopped. The imperial concubine's ceremonial guards entered the Zuoshun Gate to wait. The eunuchs knelt and asked the crown prince to get off the carriage, and led him to the curtain to wait.

"When the concubine arrived at the sedan chair, the eunuch knelt and asked the crown prince to lift the curtain, and the concubine got off the sedan chair. The crown prince went first, and the eunuchs followed with the curtain to protect the concubine, and they all walked into the Zuo Shun Gate. The eunuch knelt and asked the crown prince to go first. The female official knelt and asked the crown princess to get on the sedan chair and go behind.

"Outside the palace gate, the Crown Prince got off the sedan chair and waited for the Consort to arrive. The female official knelt down and asked the Crown Princess to get off the sedan chair. They entered the curtain and waited for the wedding ceremony..."

The so-called wedding ceremony is actually drinking from the same cup of wine.

"The Crown Prince and the Consort both took their seats. Two female stewards carried the food table before the Crown Prince and the Consort. The venerable female official took the golden cup and poured wine into it. The Crown Prince and the Consort each took the cup and drank.

……

"The concubine's attendants will feed the crown prince. The crown prince's attendants will lead the crown prince into the palace to change into formal clothes. The concubine's attendants and female officials will lead the concubine into the palace to change into her daily clothes..."

After the wedding ceremony was over, the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess could finally return to the Duanjing Hall in their casual clothes.

There will still be proper arrangements there, but it will be the prince's private space, and the specific matters between the couple in the bedroom will not be recorded in any books.

……

As for the Zhang family.

After the prince and his wife were sent away, the grand banquet officially began.

As the most glorious person of the day, Zhang Luan went from table to table to toast.

With the help of her maid, Jin returned to the inner courtyard. As soon as she entered the room, she couldn't help crying and wailing bitterly. It took her a long time to stop.

In front of Mrs. Tang and her two sons, Mrs. Jin wiped her tears and said, "I don't know if I will ever see my sweet girl again. It hurts so much!"

Zhang Yanling comforted her, "Mother, don't worry. You will see me often in the future. When your brother-in-law ascends the throne, you can go in and out of the palace just like you would at home. It is not impossible for you to stay in the palace for a few days."

……

……

Inside the Duanjing Hall.

After completing the wedding ceremony, Zhang Yu, with the help of a female official, followed Zhu Youtang into the inner hall.

There were many red decorations inside and big red candles on the table. Apart from the female officials, there was not even a shadow of a eunuch to be seen that day, as if they were intentionally avoiding the place.

After everyone came in, the female official helped Zhang Yu to sit down in front of the couch.

Afterwards, the female official made some arrangements and then left the inner hall.

After all, it was not a folk wedding, and Zhang Yu didn't even have a red veil on her head, just a high bun.

As a married woman, this was the first time she had decorated her head with such grandeur. The weight of the gold hairpins, pearl flowers and other items made her head droop down, and her neck was a little sore.

As if he was curious about the place where he was going to live in the future, after entering the inner hall, Zhang Yu kept looking around in order to familiarize himself with everything here.

Zhu Youtang seemed to be very anxious. He walked over and closed the door of the palace himself. Then he went into the inner room and looked at his little wife who was sitting on the couch and seemed a little unnatural with an expression that was not sure whether it was joy or naivety.

"Has everyone left?"

Zhang Yu finally asked.

"Ah."

Even though Zhu Youtang had been thinking about Zhang Yu day and night, he still felt very embarrassed when they met now, and met alone in the bridal chamber.

Zhang Yu asked inquiringly, "Can I tidy up first and take off the things on my head?"

"Ah."

Zhu Youtang nodded.

Seeing Zhang Yu stand up and walk towards the bronze mirror, he asked again: "Do you need my help?"

"no need."

Zhang Yu sat down on the stool in front of the bronze mirror, then took off her head ornaments piece by piece, causing her hair to become a little messy.

Finally, she simply took off all the headdresses and placed them on the table, and asked casually, "Is there a wooden box or something that can hold them?"

"I do not know either."

Zhu Youtang glanced around and shook his head, "Do you need me to call my wife in?"

"Who is your spouse?"

Zhang Yu was somewhat displeased when he heard this.

How come I just became your wife and you say you have a "partner"?

Although I don't know what the term "alongside" specifically means, it sounds like someone is very close to you.

Zhu Youtang explained enthusiastically: "My wife's surname is Tan, Tan Ji, she is an eunuch sent by my father to take care of me, and she has been with me for more than ten years."

"Is he a eunuch?"

Zhang Yu asked curiously.

"Well... sort of, but my husband still doesn't hold the title of eunuch. If you're not used to calling him my husband, you can just call him by his name."

Zhu Youtang seemed to be afraid that his young wife was not familiar with the rules of the palace, so he began to explain patiently.

Originally a timid and introverted boy, Zhu Youtang spoke fluently without any pauses because he was talking about something that he could connect with.

The two people who liked each other now had common topics to talk about, and their time together didn't seem so boring anymore. At least the conversation was very smooth.

Zhang Yu said, "In a situation like today, no outsiders should come to disturb us... You can sort out your things later. I will pack them up myself tomorrow."

Zhu Youtang quickly shook his head: "No, no, there will be people coming to collect them and sort them out. After all, this is the Eastern Palace, there is no shortage of manpower."

"Oh, that's right."

Zhang Yu suddenly smiled, probably because she was thinking that she would be the Crown Princess in the future, with many people serving her and even having food and clothes provided for her, she couldn't help but laugh.

After all, he came from a poor family and still had some aspirations for his future life.

But her smile was like a hundred flowers blooming, which stunned Zhu Youtang.

Zhang Yu saw her newlywed husband staring at her infatuatedly, so she asked with a smile, "What are you looking at?"

"I……"

Zhu Youtang felt so embarrassed.

Normally, he had nothing to say to even the strange little palace maids and tried to avoid them as much as possible. But now he was being teased by the person he loved, and he felt that his emotional intelligence was not enough.

Zhang Yu finally simply pulled her hair up and fixed it with a hairpin. A simple bun was done. She looked at the window and asked, "It seems to be still early. Is it just past noon now?"

"Ah."

Zhu Youtang was very happy. He finally found something to talk about. "It's just past noon. Are you hungry?"

Zhang Yu shook his head and said, "Didn't I eat a little while drinking just now? I don't feel that hungry..."

“That’s too little.”

Zhu Youtang said with emotion, "How about... I ask my wife to bring the food in, and we can have some more? I'm afraid you won't last until dinner."

Zhang Yu blushed slightly and asked, "Do we need to have dinner later?"

What I mean is, today is our wedding day, so of course you'd better not even go out of the palace until the next morning. Why are you still thinking about food now?
Zhu Youtang said as a matter of course: "You must eat, otherwise it will be very uncomfortable. By the way, I... I have collected a lot of your letters here, do you want to see them with your own eyes?"

Zhang Yu rolled his eyes at him and said, "What's so good about a letter I wrote myself? But I left all your letters at home, and there's also the dowry my family prepared for me. I thought I should bring them with me today, but I didn't."

Zhu Youtang smiled slightly and said, "There is nothing missing in the palace. If you need anything in the future, just ask someone to buy it. You don't need to bring anything here from outside the palace."

"Too."

Zhang Yu stood up and walked around the room. Suddenly, he felt a little uncomfortable. He glanced at Zhu Youtang and asked, "Do you want to change clothes again?"

Zhu Youtang looked around, then looked at himself, and asked, "Am I disturbing you by being here?"

"That...is not the case."

Zhang Yu felt a little awkward.

No matter what, the man in front of me is already my husband.

But the couple were still too unfamiliar with each other. They had only met once before, and that was during the selection of concubines. Although they communicated via letters before and after, they were just like pen pals in later generations. They only met once in person, and the second time they met was in the bridal chamber on the wedding day. It's strange to think about it.

How could this not feel awkward?

"Since we are husband and wife, there is nothing to be shy about."

Zhang Yu said openly, "I have a lot of clothes that I usually wear, but I didn't bring them into the palace."

Zhu Youtang smiled slightly and said, "You must look very nice in what you usually wear."

Although Zhang Yu knew that Zhu Youtang's words were flattering, he felt very comfortable listening to them for some reason. He smiled shyly and said, "You haven't seen it, so how do you know it's beautiful?"

"I saw it that day."

Zhu Youtang almost wanted to describe the astonishment he felt when he first met Zhang Yu, and the worry he felt when he fell in love with her at first sight.

It's almost like I'm pouring out my true feelings.

Zhang Yu said, "I have something good here, do you want to take a look?"

"what!?"

Zhu Youtang was stunned. His beloved wife actually smuggled contraband into the palace?
I wonder what it could be?

(End of this chapter)