Tang Dynasty Bandits

Chapter 97 Dinner Party
Lan Suting's suggestion that Zhu Wen pretend to be a descendant of the Zhu family in Youzhou was very thoughtful and not just a matter of having the same surname.

The direct line of the Youzhou Zhu family had in fact been wiped out. In the second year of the Baoli reign, Zhu Tao's grandson Zhu Kerong, great-grandsons Zhu Yanling and Zhu Yansi, and dozens of other members of the family were killed in a mutiny.

The problem was that the descendants of the Youzhou Zhu family who had entered the court also had considerable influence south of the Yellow River. People in Hebei didn't know much about this, but they certainly knew that the Youzhou Zhu family still had some strength and was not to be trifled with.

Zhu Wen's Henan accent also makes more sense - aren't all the descendants of the Zhu family in Youzhou now living south of the river?

"I have heard that there will be no military training tomorrow..." Zhu Wen said to the Tian family. His meaning was very clear. Captain Tian and the three brothers of the Tian family could stay in Xiling Garden overnight and have fun all day tomorrow.

The ancients had the saying "drill once every three days, practice once every five days." This refers to group drills. Only elite troops could do "drill once every five days." The rest of the time, of course, was for individual training.

Individual soldier training provided ample opportunities for slacking off. Although Tang soldiers appeared to have far fewer holidays than officials, their leisure time was actually much longer.

What could the Tian family do? They could only agree.

Because it is built in wetlands, Xiling Garden is not square. Its walls are winding, and within it lies a winding pond. In early spring and into summer, lotus leaves are just beginning to sprout. Several small stone bridges span the water, with pavilions at the bridgeheads offering rest.

Buildings are scattered haphazardly throughout the garden, shaded by trees. At night, the garden is illuminated by red paper lanterns, creating a warm glow that makes the scenery even more enchanting.

A pretty maid holding a lantern led the way to the main hall, where they had to cross a three-meter-long stone arch bridge. A banquet had already been set up in the hall, and beautiful singing and dancing girls had been invited to perform.

The hall was surrounded by water on three sides. From the windows, one could see endless expanses of blue water, the light of lanterns spilling onto the night-shrouded waters outside. The air was thick with incense, and the graceful singing and dancing of courtesans made the three country-skinned brothers of the Tian family feel as if they had entered a fairyland.

Seeing those singing girls and dancing girls, Long Shuang couldn't help but feel sad. She remembered that when she was eighteen or nineteen, her figure and appearance were superior to those girls. Every time she performed, she was always surrounded by beautiful women and cheers like waves, one after another.
It’s only been more than 20 years now, not even 50 years old, but my face is already full of wrinkles, like an old woman!
Long Shuang turned her gaze to her daughter who was walking hand in hand with Zhu Wen, and a hint of pride suddenly surged in her dim eyes.

The daughter's facial features are very similar to those of her youth, except that her skin color is a little darker - but she is more beautiful and charming than when she was young.

Moreover, Tian Jun is half Han Chinese, and the Tian family's bloodline doesn't age well. My daughter's beauty will probably last until she's almost forty, right?

Children are the continuation of their parents' lives. Compared to Sanlang, who has average looks and martial arts skills, Si Niang, although a girl, is not only pretty, but also braver than boys.

This made Long Shuang particularly happy, because it would make it difficult for Tian Jun to be bullied by men, and she could follow the path she wanted as much as possible. Unlike herself, although she was a member of the royal family of Yanqi State, she could only use her beauty to please men and become a plaything sent back and forth by men.

"Sanlang, stop looking at those dancers with such embarrassing looks. They don't even look 70% as good as your mother when she was young. What's so good about them?" Long Shuang scolded Tian Sanlang in a low voice.

Tian Sanlang thought to himself, "How could my mother not remember when she was young? These women are certainly not as pretty as my sister. But they wear more revealing clothes than my fourth sister, their smiles are charming, and their dances are seductive. Besides, I can't even look at my sister now. Not to mention she's my biological sister; if my brother-in-law finds out, won't he dig out my eyes?"

Zhu Wen nodded and smiled, noticing that the men of the Tian family were quite satisfied with the banquet, singing and dancing he had arranged, and poured the ice-cold peach yogurt in the crystal cup into his throat. This coolness made him unusually clear-headed.

In Hebei, it is not easy to eat peaches in early summer. Early-ripening peaches need to be transported by fast horses from Lianghuai. Although it is not as exhausting as eating lychees by Yang Guifei, the price will be many times higher.

Peach curd is a summer drink made by mashing fresh peaches, extracting the juice and a small amount of pulp, mixing it with sour curd, and chilling it with iced well water. Peaches are easy to prepare in midsummer, but Hebei was far from in need of a summer cooler at the time. Treating everyone with peach curd was simply Zhu Wen's way of showing off his wealth.

Zhu Wen really disliked this waste of money. After all, the seasons change in their own ways. Why not just eat what's available?

But finding ways to waste money is exactly what the rich and powerful love. For example, Shi Chong of the Jin Dynasty insisted on eating "leek duckweed" in winter, precisely because leeks are usually not available until spring.

Zhu Wen learned a lot about these ways of showing off wealth from Zhao Yaoniang and her group of girls. Although Lan Suting was well-read, he came from a humble background and was not very familiar with these things.

Team Leader Tian felt that his future son-in-law's attitude suddenly softened, and his old heart finally calmed down. He began to seriously enjoy the fine wine and delicious food prepared for them by "Master Zhu Huang of Youzhou".

In the past, when he was serving drinks to others, he didn't dare to take too much of the delicious food. How could he compare to being a guest of honor and being able to eat and drink to his heart's content?

Soon, Captain Tian, ​​who had let down his guard, was already drunk and blurry-eyed. He picked up a piece of crystal dragon and phoenix cake with his green jade chopsticks and placed it in his eldest son's bowl: "This cake is well made... It's a pity that Hu'er couldn't come. He's in the prime of his life..."

Hu'er is the son of Tian Dalang and the eldest grandson of the Tian family.

"If Captain Tian is interested, I will send another carriage to pick up my nephew." Zhu Wen said lightly.

Captain Tian was taken aback, and immediately said, his mouth full of alcohol, "No need for that. I'm Meng Lang, there's no reason for a child to sit at the table!"

But he was extremely happy in his heart. The word "nephew" was very interesting. Didn't it mean that the young master regarded him as a member of the Tian family?
At this time, Zhu Wen took out a few more recruitment envelopes and handed them personally to the Tian couple and the three brothers. Even Tian Wumei, who was twelve or thirteen years old, was not left out.

On the contrary, Tian Jun’s biological mother, Long Shuang, did not receive it.

"It's just a small thought, not a sign of respect." Zhu Wen said with a smile: "It's okay to open it and take a look."

Captain Tian was still hesitating when Mrs. Tian said loudly, "Our son-in-law is so sensible and considerate!"

As he spoke, he opened the recruitment bag in his hand. It was full of silver ingots. A rough weighing showed that each one was worth about five strings of silver coins, which was equivalent to a month's salary for Captain Tian.

Everyone was overjoyed and could hear endless expressions of gratitude and thanks.

"I told you my brother-in-law isn't such a bad guy, isn't he?" Tian Dalang whispered in his father's ear, rather smugly. "He's just standing up for his sister, trying to intimidate us. But we're all connected, and Si Niang is so soft-hearted, what could possibly go wrong..."

At this moment, Zhu Wen said calmly, "Since the intention has been given, there's no need for a betrothal gift, right?"

When these words were spoken, all members of the Tian family were stunned.

Five strings of cash per person might seem like a lot, but considering Tian Jun's appearance, even if she were to marry into the family of a junior officer of the same rank as Tian Duizheng, the betrothal gift would be much more than that. The betrothal gift, also known as "nazheng," was strongly criticized by Emperor Taizong Li Shimin at the founding of the country: "Whenever a woman marries a woman from another clan, she will be asked for a large betrothal gift, with the higher the value, the more she gets. The amount she sets is the same as that of a merchant, which is very detrimental to public morals."

However, the imperial court had no way to suppress this custom, and it became more and more serious.

An officer of the rank of Captain Tian could ask for a betrothal gift of nearly 100 pieces of silk, which was equivalent to about 50 strings of cash, even if his daughter was not very pretty.

Mr. Zhu is so rich, but he wants to get rid of them with silver ingots worth only thirty strings of cash. Does he think that the Tian family in Wei Bo are beggars?
Before Tian Jun ran away from home, Captain Tian was extremely depressed because such a beautiful girl with extraordinary sword and gun skills would definitely get a sky-high dowry if she got married.

At some point, all twenty slaves in the garden had come to the front of the hall and lined up in an orderly manner.

Zhu Wen smashed a box hard on the ground, which surprised Tian Duizheng and others.

The group of servants had expected this and all of them looked happy.

What fell out were piles of indentures.

Zhu Wen took a candle and lit the indenture contract. Soon, only scraps of paper and ashes were left on the ground.

The slaves and servants kowtowed to express their gratitude, like chicks pecking at rice.

"For those who don't want to leave, I will pay them monthly wages according to the market price." Zhu Wen looked at the slaves with a calm gaze.

"We have no way of repaying the young master for giving us a new life. How dare we do such an ungrateful thing!" The slaves cried.

Their current status was no longer that of a lowly slave, but rather that of a free man who earned his wages through his own labor. Although their work seemed the same as before, they no longer had to worry about being sold like pigs or dogs by their masters, or even beaten to death for the slightest dissatisfaction.

"What a pity." Tian Saburo muttered softly.

"What a pity, you big-headed ghost!" Long Shuang suddenly slapped her good-for-nothing son hard: "Have you forgotten what happened when your mother was young?"

Only then did Tian Sanlang remember that his mother had been sold from hand to hand like a slave in the past.

"Mother is right." Tian Sanlang lowered his head and accepted the scolding without refutation.

Zhu Wen nodded. It seemed that Tian Jun's character was not entirely influenced by Tian Xiang and Kou Qianzhi, but probably also had something to do with her mother.

He turned to the servants and said, "It is very good that you are willing to stay and work. However, I lied to you about one thing. I will not stay in Weizhou for long. I will return to Henan with Junmei in a few days."

"This..." said the leading maid, "While the young master is away, we will diligently take care of the garden and respectfully welcome you and your wife back to relax."

"No need." Zhu Wen shook his head amid the bewildered looks of the servants, his gaze falling on Long Shuang: "From now on, Madam Long Shuang will be your new master."

He suddenly took out the title deed to his newly purchased house and waved it leisurely in his hand like a fan.

"As for your monthly allowance, I've put five hundred strings of cash in the big money box in the back hall. Five hundred coins a month for each of you will last you a long time."

"I've asked a broker to be a witness. Later, I'll ask my wife to put my fingerprints on it with me. From now on, you'll all be working for her. The key to the cash box will also be handed to her."

"The previous owner also sold fifty acres of good farmland at a low price as an additional bonus. The rent from these fields is enough to cover your daily food expenses and the maintenance of the garden, with some surplus left over."

Captain Tian, ​​Mrs. Tian, ​​and Mrs. Tian's three children felt a buzzing in their heads and were about to faint from anger.

No wonder Mr. Zhu, despite his wealth, declared that he would not give a single penny as a betrothal gift.

With a mansion like this, five hundred strings of cash, and fifty acres of good farmland, what other do you need as a betrothal gift?
The laws of this dynasty protected women's property. While a woman's dowry, as a gift in return for the betrothal gift, could be easily misappropriated by her husband's family, her husband could not easily take any of the property she earned or received as a gift, as long as the ownership was clearly defined.

Although Long Shuang was just a concubine, she was no exception.

To occupy this house, it is impossible unless Long Shuang is dead - Mrs. Tian did immediately have this idea, but then she thought that besides Si Niang, Sanlang is also the son of that bitch. Will Sanlang not protect his mother and this great wealth?
Team leader Tian, ​​his wife, Dalang, Erlang, and Wuniang looked at each other in surprise.

Even if Zhu Wen beat the Tian family to pieces and beat them all up, it would not make them suffer so much.

After all, there aren't many valuable and easily damaged things in the house.

The wealth really came, but it had nothing to do with me.

How could this not make them feel choked up, and even the delicious wine and food in front of them immediately lost their appeal?

Zhu Wen didn't care. The food here was made with expensive ingredients, but the taste was not as good as Lan Suting's home-cooked meals.

All he could say was that the difference between one cook and another was greater than that between another and another, and he had also asked the chefs he had captured from the aristocratic estates to cook for him. His conclusion was that the so-called banquets often just consumed a large amount of precious ingredients to satisfy the host's extravagant and ostentatious desires, and the food tasted just so-so.

Human beings always like to pursue all kinds of useless things that are detached from their essence.

(End of this chapter)