Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 119 Found a treasure
"My dear nephew, I have agreed to your request." Li Hongzhang agreed without hesitation and said,
"This is a serious matter and requires careful handling. It will take some time to plan.

My dear nephew, please be patient and calm down. I have my reasons."

"That's great. Thank you Jinghai." Zheng Guohui responded with an unconcealed smile on his face and clasped his fists.

The two talked for a while, and Zheng Guohui took the opportunity to mention that he had opened a shop in Minxiang, Dongjiao. The shop mainly sold some rare items from Southeast Asia, including old rock sugar, cocoa, coconut meat, pineapple, bananas, rare shells, spices, stone and the like, in short, things that were rare in Middle-earth.

Li Hongzhang nodded slightly to show that he understood, and then picked up the teacup.

Zheng Guohui understood and stood up to say goodbye. Li Hongzhang also saw him off to the door of the study and was taken out of the house by the butler Li An. Needless to say, it goes without saying.

from beginning to end
Li Hongzhang did not ask about matters related to marriage, and Zheng Guohui did not say anything, but maintained a tacit understanding.

While riding back home on horseback, Zheng Guohui carefully reviewed his words and actions today to see if there were any mistakes or omissions.
This is a good habit of his, to examine himself three times a day.

After thinking for a while
I couldn't help but burst out laughing, and sighed in my heart; the rise of the Li family in northern Anhui is indeed unique, and it really has many details!

Two days later
The Zheng family came with a large group of people, banging and beating drums and gongs along the way, and they sent 108 loads of betrothal gifts tied with big red flowers to the Li family, setting the date for the wedding.

The auspicious day for the wedding is the last day of the first lunar month (note, calculated according to the new calendar).

Early this morning
Zheng Guohui wore bright red clothes, rode on a tall horse, and went to Li's house to pick up the bride with a sedan chair carried by eight people and a large group of people.

The Li family naturally treated her warmly and went through the process one by one according to the rules without any obstruction. They then welcomed the bride, whose face was covered with a big red headscarf, into the bridal sedan and happily carried her back to the house.

The dowry from the Li family was equally grand, with not only various boxes and other items, but also a complete set of furniture made of rosewood, including tables, chairs, couches, cabinets and boxes. It was a full set of furniture for a wealthy family, with exquisite styles. There were 8 sets of 32 armchairs of various styles alone.

It also includes a Wangong dragon and phoenix playing with a pearl wedding bed, which is a characteristic of the Anhui and Anhui regions. This wedding bed covers an area of ​​14 square meters and has a couch for the bed-warming maid to stay on duty. It is like a suite with exquisite wood carvings.

It took more than 400 strong men to carry all the furniture back.

It is indeed the style of a wealthy and powerful family, and it has its own extraordinary features.

What surprised Zheng Guohui the most was that Miss Li Yanhe of the Li family actually had 8 senior maids and 36 junior maids as dowry. There were so many beautiful girls that it was dizzying.

Among them, the pretty maid who poured tea and water in Li Hongzhang's study was actually among the eight maids who came with the dowry, which made him feel a chill down his spine.

These eight maids were of different sizes, but the only thing they had in common was that they all had fair skin, beautiful looks, and were charming, which was exactly what Zheng Guohui liked.

If he ate it all, he probably wouldn't have the energy to mess around with other women outside.

Especially the maid in the study, he remembered that he just looked at her twice and didn't seem to express anything.

The details of the Li Mansion are so terrifying.

Back at the mansion at the front gate, red lanterns and large double happiness characters had already been hung there. The house was filled with joy both inside and outside. All the servants had red cloth tied around their waists and were busy trotting.

Zheng Guohui wanted to take a peek at his wife's appearance, but was rudely driven out by the nanny who came with the Li family's dowry, without any mercy.

There is absolutely no possibility before the wedding night.

exactly at this time
There was an endless stream of guests coming to congratulate Zheng Guohui, and there was no one to replace him, so he could only stand at the door to greet them, repeating his actions and words of welcome with a smile on his face.

As evening approaches
Some heavyweight court officials arrived one after another. The ceremonial officer called out their names loudly and reported the gifts. The front courtyard was very lively and full of noisy laughter.

"Master of the Plain Yellow Banner, Minister of the Grand Council, Minister of the General Affairs Office, Chief of the Imperial Clan Bureau, Minister of the Imperial Household Department, His Royal Highness Prince Gong..."

This high-pitched voice almost frightened the court officials who were chatting in the courtyard into silence, and they all ran towards the gate in a hurry.

Zheng Guohui had a rare moment of free time and was hiding in a side room, drinking hot tea and taking a rest. His face was stiff from the cold wind outside and his legs were numb from standing.

When he heard this, his hands trembled and he almost tilted his head back and drank the wine down his neck.

Fortunately, he was quick-witted and quickly moved to the side. The teacup in his hand fell to the ground with a bang and shattered. He avoided the misfortune of having his face covered with tea.

Without thinking too much, Zheng Guohui immediately rushed to the door and opened it. As soon as one leg stepped over the threshold, the jogging Xuan Lilang continued to shout;
"The specially dispatched steward has arrived, bringing with him a jade ruyi (likely a literal translation of a Chinese character), a precious sword (likely a Chinese character), a string of Buddhist beads blessed by a living lama, a chicken bloodstone seal, a famous Huizhou inkstone, and ten bundles of Xuan paper..."

"What the hell!"

Zheng Guohui was almost choked by the heavy breathing of the groom's attendant and stumbled. He immediately stopped, calmly adjusted his groom's suit, and then walked forward steadily.

No matter what, Prince Gong sent someone to deliver a generous gift, which is definitely a great honor and must be accepted well.

He just said it
Prince Gong is of such a noble status that it is impossible for him to condescend to come and congratulate. That would be such a surprise and such an honor.

If it were an ordinary person, would Prince Gong be able to give away so many imperial treasures?
Ordinary court officials, if they received gifts from the emperor, had to keep them respectfully at home and were not allowed to pass them on. Doing so would be a serious crime of "disrespecting the imperial order."

Prince Gong Yixin was different. He was originally the sixth prince who competed with Emperor Xianfeng for the throne. The royal property belonged to his family and he could give it to whoever he wanted without any scruples.

When Zheng Guohui walked into the courtyard, a group of court officials gathered around him, their smiles even warmer, and they kept congratulating him.

"Thank you so much, thank you all for visiting my humble home. A mere glass of wedding wine is not enough to show your respect. I hope you all will have a few more." "Excuse me, I have to excuse myself. I need to greet the chief steward of Prince Gong's mansion. I must not be disrespectful."

Zheng Guohui struggled to squeeze through the crowd, with a smile on his face and shouting "sorry".

Over there, Dong Huanzhang had already received the chief eunuch of Prince Gong's mansion, secretly slipped him 200 taels of silver notes, and was chatting with him with a smile on his face.

After Zheng Guohui arrived, he exchanged a few pleasantries with the chief eunuch before hearing the muezzin at the main gate shout again, "The auspicious hour has arrived. Please, all guests, go to the front hall to watch the ceremony. The bride and groom will perform their wedding ceremony. Don't miss the time."

"Master Zheng, since that's the case, I'll take my leave now. I wish you a happy marriage and many children and grandchildren."

"Thank you, Master General. We are really rushed today and cannot provide you with a good reception."

"Hahaha, you're welcome."

"Huanzhang, hurry up and send the steward off." Zheng Guohui gave instructions hurriedly, and then went to the back house without stopping.

He muttered to himself;
There are so many red tapes involved in getting married that it's exhausting to death. It's really not easy!

Fortunately, I just had to fight to the last bit and finally saw the light.

He rushed all the way to the inner house. At this time, the dowry nanny and maid were already ready and successfully led the bride out of the wedding hall.

Zheng Guohui walked in front, holding a red silk cloth with flowers in his hand. The bride walked behind, with a veil embroidered with golden dragon and phoenix patterns covering her head. She was supported by a pretty maid on each side and walked gracefully.

Zheng Guohui looked back several times, but he didn't see the hem of the bride's skirt showing under her feet. He didn't know whether she had big feet or small feet?

Come on, let's leave it at that.

"One Worship"

"Second Worship Hall"

"The husband and wife bow to each other and send them to the bridal chamber."

Amidst the laughter and joy in the courtyard, Zheng Guohui exchanged greetings with the bride, and then brought the bride back by pulling the red silk. Under the strict supervision of the dowry nanny, the bride's true appearance was never seen.

This time, the bride was sent directly to the bridal chamber instead of the living room in the back house which served as the wedding hall. After the maids, nannies and others had all left, it was time for the two of them to be alone.

At this time in the bridal chamber

Two red butter candles as thick as arms lit up the entire area. The exquisitely carved bed used for the bride reception in the morning had been reassembled and was now located in the inner room of the bridal chamber.

The sumptuous banquet on the table in the outer room had already gone cold. The dishes were covered with double red wedding characters, and there were two wine cups, two pairs of chopsticks, and an exquisitely carved ivory picking stick.

Zheng Guohui picked up the ivory pick and walked to the bride who was sitting on the Wangong bed. He saw that the bride nervously pinched her delicate hands together, making her delicate skin look even paler.

"My dear, I will lift your veil now. From now on, you and I will be together for the rest of our lives and be husband and wife!"

"My dear, don't..." A crisp voice came from under the veil, like the crunching of a water radish.

"Well, why is that?"

"I...I am a little scared. Please have some mercy on me, my dear."

"I……"

Zheng Guohui was speechless. He thought to himself, I just lifted the veil, and this woman is so panicked that she says nothing. It’s not even time to go to bed.

The bride probably knew she had done something wrong, so she lowered her head and became even more embarrassed.

Zheng Guohui smiled awkwardly and said, "Madam, you have been covering your head all the time. You can't live like this forever. It's better for you to lift the veil and be honest with each other."

"Okay, I'll follow your orders."

Zheng Guohui smiled and lifted the red headscarf. At that moment, he felt his eyes brighten and the room seemed to become much brighter.

In front of me is a beautiful woman who is both charming and charming. Her face is so delicate that it would be fatter if it was a little more, and thinner if it was a little less. Her eyebrows are like spring mountains, her eyes are like autumn water, and her skin is like ice and snow. Her beauty and charm are self-evident.

Zheng Guohui was stunned by such a stunning beauty and cried out in his heart: I have found a treasure.

Li Yanhe bravely glanced at Zheng Guohui. Seeing his stunned look, she couldn't help but chuckle shyly, and instantly it was as if the whole garden was full of flowers blooming.

This scene made Zheng Guohui intoxicated.

There is a saying that;
Anything produced by the Li family must be of high quality. The ancients were right.

On this night in the bridal chamber, the candlelight flickered for a long time. The beauty inside could not be revealed to outsiders, as it was filled with charming and seductive charm.

(End of this chapter)