The Ming Dynasty's Five Hundred Years

Chapter 189 Blessing Items
Only three days after Zhang Wan's grand and magnificent coming-of-age ceremony, which resembled that of a legitimate princess, Li's betrothal gifts were sent to the Duke of Ying's mansion.

The wedding date had already been set.

In September of the twelfth year of the Yongle reign, the weather was crisp and clear, with no clouds in sight. The biggest news in the capital that day was that the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works and Grand Secretary of the Cabinet was marrying the eldest daughter of Zhang Fu, the Duke of Ying.

When Xihe drove east, Li Xianmu waited outside the Duke's mansion, surrounded by close associates. The Duke's mansion was prestigious, but the Li family was no less so, especially Li Xianmu, who was a remarkable man of his time.

The dowry carried out from the Duke of England's mansion numbered no less than two hundred loads. Starting with everyday items such as the thousand-work bed, all kinds of dowry items were carried by countless sedan chair bearers, stretching for miles. The people in front and behind could not see each other. When the ten-mile-long red bridal procession from the storybooks appeared in real life, all the nobles in the capital paled in comparison.

This was done intentionally by Zhang Fu, the Duke of Ying, to let everyone know about the grandeur of the Duke of Ying's mansion.

Xiao He once said to Liu Bang, "Without magnificence, there is no way to project authority."

Even the most powerful emperors needed magnificent palaces to demonstrate their authority.

In Dream of the Red Chamber, the Jia family gradually declined, yet their extravagant displays only grew larger. Was it because Grandmother Jia was foolish?

The reason is that the more you fall, the more you need to put on a show of strength to intimidate others, otherwise those vultures and hyenas will swarm you when they sense your weakness.

Li Xianmu looked up at the clear blue sky. He knew that his father must be watching him from above. He spoke silently to the sky, and then smiled. Everyone assumed that he was happy because he had married a beautiful bride.

The Lin'an Princess's Mansion and the Duke of Ying's Mansion were both located in neighborhoods where nobles gathered in the capital. When they passed by, all the families came out to watch the ceremony, especially the young children of each family.

Bowing to Heaven and Earth, to one's parents, and to each other in prayer—each action is performed according to ritual. Once the sun sets and the guests have all returned home, the customary ceremony is complete.

The moment Li Xianmu stepped into the bridal chamber, he suddenly felt the gaze that had been constantly haunting him disappear.

He was stunned for a moment, then looked at his wife wearing a veil and understood.

She walked over with light steps, lifted the veil, revealing a face full of springtime beauty and alluring charm. She wore a bright red brocade robe with wide sleeves, and her phoenix crown was adorned with jingling pendants. Her snow-white skin was complemented by a deep blue and gold embroidered shawl.

"My lord," Zhang Wan said, blushing deeply and lowering her face, "I will undress you."

High above, Li Qi sat cross-legged, surrounded by chaos, radiating a gentle light. With Li Xianmu's marriage, the number of direct descendants of the Li family was finally about to begin to increase.

In the system interface, the achievement value was fluctuating, and countless yellow-tier items he had used in his previous life flashed before his eyes.

"This one won't work."

"Too expensive, I can't afford to exchange it."

"That's it."

Use 1000 achievement points to exchange for a Yellow-tier item: Body of Good Pregnancy.

Available target: The chieftain's wife.

A body conducive to conception: The mother is more likely to conceive, experiences no morning sickness or other negative symptoms during pregnancy, has a painless delivery with a normal fetal position, and recovers extremely quickly after childbirth.

Use 100 achievement points to exchange for a Yellow-Tier item: Postpartum Nutritional Solution.

Postpartum nutritional solution: Quickly restores the body to its original state after childbirth, recovering from the physical depletion and damage caused during delivery.

[Using 1100 achievement points, current achievement points: 800.]

Childbirth is a woman's ordeal. Modern childbirth is extremely taxing on the body, let alone in ancient times. It was no exaggeration to say that it was a death sentence. Zhang Wan did not survive it in history. Now that we have the means, we should naturally protect her.

Li Qi put away the props and slowly felt the changes brought about by the increase in incense offerings. He could clearly feel that his body had become more real.

It's not the physical sensation of the past, but an emptiness that's no longer so pure.

"like……"

Li Qi slowly waved his arm through the air, "I have more anchor points in the human world, so my influence on reality has become greater."

Even if it's still insignificant, if things continue to develop like this, wouldn't it eventually be possible to break through the system's limitations, overcome the limitations of items, and directly communicate with the clan?

No one answered his question.

Because there has never been such a special existence in this world, one that has endured forever.

The next day.

After paying her respects to her mother-in-law, Princess Lin'an, Zhang Wan was somewhat bewildered as Li Xianmu led her into the ancestral hall. She hadn't expected that this was a place she could enter.

Li Xianmu explained, “I am the clan chief, and you are my wife. According to the clan rules promulgated by my father before his death, the wife of each clan chief must enter the ancestral hall to receive blessings so that the family’s descendants may prosper and continue to thrive.”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Wan's expression turned solemn, and the couple stepped forward to offer incense to Li Qi.

"Li Xianmu, the second-generation head of the Li family, together with his wife Zhang Wan, paid homage to the ancestral spirits, praying for their protection and blessings so that the Li family may prosper and enjoy long life."

Li Qi waved his hand, scattering the two props down, which then entered Zhang Wan's body.

Zhang Wan felt as if something had landed on her, but she thought it was just her imagination. However, from Li Xianmu's perspective, she saw a flash of fluorescence.

He was deeply shaken, realizing that this was his father's blessing. "My wife, your father has already bestowed this blessing. You will know from now on. After you kowtow again, you may leave."

Zhang Wan entered and left the ancestral hall in a daze, not knowing what the blessing was, only thinking it was a clan rule of the Li family. Li Xianmu did not explain it, so she quickly forgot about it.

Li Qi sat cross-legged, looking up into the distance. He looked down at the capital city, but it seemed as if he had pierced through time. The majestic and magnificent capital city in the eyes of the world was gray and desolate in his eyes. In his memory, this city should have been a megacity with more than 20 million people, with skyscrapers everywhere and one ring after another.

Time, oh time, hurry forward!

Li Qi thought to himself.

……

In November of the twelfth year of the Yongle reign, Zhang Wan was found to be pregnant. Based on the timeline, she conceived around the time of her wedding.

This was a major event for both the Li family and the British Duke's Mansion.

At this moment, Zhang Wan realized that something was wrong with her. None of the precautions for pregnant women that her mother-in-law and nanny had told her, or the discomforts that might occur during pregnancy, had appeared. She hadn't even experienced the morning sickness that every pregnant woman experiences.

In bed, she told her husband, Li Xianmu, about the matter, and then she saw her husband gently stroking her lower abdomen while telling her in a solemn voice, "This is a blessing from your father, because you are my wife, and this is the grace you deserve."

Zhang Wan was an exceptionally intelligent woman. She immediately recalled the day she entered the ancestral hall to worship, but a doubt quickly arose in her mind.

Li Zhongwen has long since passed away; where in this world can anyone receive such blessings?
Seeing his wife's expression, Li Xianmu knew she still didn't believe him. He didn't say anything; it was normal for her not to believe him. If she believed him now, she would be too easily deceived.

Trust is built through repeated deeds.

As Zhang Wan's pregnancy progressed, Li Xianmu was also busy every day. The work in the Ministry of Works was very complicated and difficult to communicate with.

The Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of Personnel, and the Ministry of War all dealt with officials who were literate.

While the Ministry of Works was responsible for the specific engineering work, although everyone joked that civil engineering was a modern form of corvée labor in the past, at least the workers were all proper college students, or even graduates from top universities.

In ancient China, the low social status of craftsmen was well-known.

In addition, Li Xianmu had studied geometry and basic architectural construction. Although his craftsmanship might not be as good as those craftsmen who had passed down their skills for generations, his thinking was definitely superior. He had countless diagrams in his mind about why a building should be constructed.

He was learning from the practical experience of those craftsmen, and with his own knowledge, he was determined to achieve a breakthrough in architectural mechanics on his own. His goal was very simple: to build the most beautiful and magnificent building in history.

Even when it comes to the relocation of the Ministry of Works, he wants to do his best.

Zhu Di originally hoped that Li Xianmu could properly repair the imperial mausoleum for him, which is why he transferred Li Xianmu to the Ministry of Works. However, Li Xianmu actually came up with a plan that impressed him in terms of the repair of the palace, canal, and straight road.

With a stroke of his pen, the emperor decided to allocate all the funds for next year's northern expedition to him for the construction of these projects.

Li Xianmu breathed a slight sigh of relief after leaving the palace. His purpose was actually very simple: to persuade the emperor to temporarily refrain from going on the northern expedition.

Wouldn't it be more important to use this money and grain to build projects, roads, bridges, and a complete transportation network?

In early May of the thirteenth year of the Yongle reign, Zhang Wan, who was nearly ten months pregnant, was about to give birth.

Just when she was bracing herself for the excruciating pain, she discovered that the reality was quite different from what she had imagined. The feeling wasn't even painful, just a slight discomfort.

Even the delivery process went very smoothly. After the baby was fully dilated, a fetus in the correct position slid out smoothly.

The midwives standing nearby were also dumbfounded. In their more than 20 years of experience, they had never encountered a woman who gave birth so easily.

Zhang Wan was lost in confusion.

Suddenly, a memory flashed through her mind: her husband had once said to her very seriously, "This is a blessing from your father, because you are my wife, and this is the grace you deserve."

Is being spared the pain of childbirth a blessing?

It turned out that her husband had not lied; her father-in-law, Li Zhongwen, had indeed bestowed blessings upon her!
No amount of explanation can convince believers as much as a miracle. At this moment, Zhang Wan had no more doubts or disbeliefs, and she thanked them in her heart again and again.

Zhang Wan was exhausted after giving birth, but she felt a surge of power flowing through her body.

She initially thought it was just a hallucination caused by exhaustion, but her increasingly clear and powerful consciousness and body made her realize that it was not a hallucination.

There was a clear, spring-like power nourishing her parched body.

Is this what blessing is?

She couldn't help but think about it, her eyes filled with piety and awe.

[A third-generation direct descendant of the Li family has been born. Achievement points increased by 200, current achievement points: 1000.]

really.

Actions that strengthen and enhance the clan will earn achievement points.

Li Qi looked at the newborn child and couldn't help but smile; the child's life was continuing.

(End of this chapter)