The Ming Dynasty: My sister, Empress Ma

Song Yunlan looked at him and suddenly smiled softly. There was no mockery in that smile, but rather a hint of envy.

Yunlan also wanted to daydream, but she couldn't stay still.

She bent down and adjusted the lid of the teacup.

"With Father away, I have to worry about everything, big and small. Only today, with the arrival of the Imperial Brother-in-law, did Yunlan manage to steal a half-day of peace."

When Song Lian was transferred to another post, there was no one to take charge of his household affairs.

It is said that Song Sui is in charge.

But how could a scholar know these things?

In the end, it was naturally still up to her, an unmarried young woman, to manage the household chores, which was not easy.

As for Lady Song Lian?

That's it.

These days, living to forty or fifty is already considered excellent.

People like Song Lian, who were still able to travel around at the age of sixty, are extremely rare.

"Then I'll come more often in the future."

Ma Wenyuan blurted it out, then realized he'd spoken a bit too quickly, and added, "..."

"With Uncle Song gone, it's only right for the younger generation to visit and offer assistance."

Song Yunlan lowered her eyelashes, but the curve of her lips was still undeniable.

……

It was already dark when we left the Song residence.

As the last vestiges of crimson faded on the western horizon, the houses along the banks of the Qinhuai River began to light their lamps.

The old locust tree at the entrance of Wuyi Lane was just a blurry outline in the twilight. The evening breeze blew from the river, carrying the coolness of mid-autumn and the smell of cooking smoke wafting from someone's kitchen.

As soon as Ma Wenyuan stepped out of the Song residence, he saw Zhu Biao leaning against the sedan chair with his arms crossed.

He had a look on his face that said, "You've finally decided to let go."

Li Zhen stood on the other side, a teasing smile on her face.

Judging from his slightly tilted stance, he had obviously been waiting for quite some time.

"Uncle," Zhu Biao slowly walked over, drawing out his words, "do you remember what you said back then?"

Ma Wenyuan thought for a moment, without blushing or skipping a beat.

"What did I say?"

"Go away, go away, it won't take two hours at all."

Zhu Biao imitated his tone of voice, managing to capture about 70-80% of it, then pointed to the darkening sky.

"How many hours is it now?"

Ma Wenyuan looked up at the sky, then at Zhu Biao, and said frankly, "I remembered it wrong."

Zhu Biao was momentarily speechless at his self-righteous "I misremembered," and then burst into laughter.

Li Zhen's lips twitched slightly. "It was supposed to take less than an hour, but it took all afternoon."

Ma Wenyuan cupped his hands in greeting, his expression unchanged: "I apologize for keeping Your Highness and brother-in-law waiting. I will treat you to drinks later to make amends."

"Put drinking aside for now."

Zhu Biao leaned closer, lowered his voice, and his eyes were full of gossip.

"Tell me first, what did you talk about? Why did it take so long?"

Ma Wenyuan thought about it and realized that the things he and Song Yunlan had talked about—playing the piano, daydreaming, osmanthus cake…

It seems inconvenient to relay these things to Zhu Biao.

So he chose the safest answer: "We chatted about everyday things."

"Just everyday talk?" Zhu Biao clearly didn't believe it. "You can chat about everyday things for an entire afternoon?"

"We had a detailed conversation," Ma Wenyuan said matter-of-factly.

Li Zhen suddenly interjected from the side, "That's all?"

Ma Wenyuan glanced at his brother-in-law and felt that his face was full of mockery.

Ma Wenyuan did not deny it and bent down to get into the carriage.

Zhu Biao squeezed in as usual.

The carriage swayed and wobbled as it made its way back.

As dusk deepened, lanterns along the long street lit up one by one, their light filtering through the gaps in the sedan curtains, flickering on and off.

"Uncle," Zhu Biao leaned back on the cushion, his tone more serious than before, "Mother probably already knows about your 'casual conversation' this afternoon."

Ma Wenyuan understood what he meant.

This marriage was arranged by Empress Ma. He came to the Song residence to make an appointment, and the Song residence would naturally send someone to the palace to report back.

Empress Ma will probably know everything by tomorrow, including how long he sat there, what he talked about, and his attitude.

"Your Highness," Ma Wenyuan hesitated for a moment, "what do you think my sister will say?"

Zhu Biao smiled, a smile that resembled a pie chart, a mixture of understanding and mischievousness.

"What do you think? If you sit for half an hour and then come out, your mother might hesitate a bit more."

"After all, this is your marriage. No matter how anxious your mother is, she has to consider your opinion."

"But you sat there all afternoon, isn't that the best answer?"

Ma Wenyuan didn't reply, but the corners of his mouth curved slightly.

He was satisfied with the marriage.

Of course, it's not because she's good-looking.

Ma Wenyuan wasn't attracted to good looks; he simply thought Song Yunlan was well-educated, reasonable, and a true lady of a prominent family.

They were a perfect match, far better than the one Zhu Shuang later found.

……

After leaving the Song residence, Ma Wenyuan did not return to the palace, but went straight back to his own residence.

By the time I got home, it was completely dark.

Even though Ma Wenyuan was thick-skinned, he didn't eat at the Song residence that night.

At dinner time.

Ma Wenyuan stared at the food in front of him, paused for a moment for some reason, and then smiled softly.

Zeng Qing peeked in and asked, "Teacher, what are you laughing at?"

The imperial decree to promote this young man to the position of trial commander has been issued, and Zeng Qing is quite happy about it now.

However, his excitement had already worn off.

Ma Wenyuan calmly shook his head.

Fang Xiaoru, however, knew a little about it, and said with a smile,

Congratulations, sir.

His father is still in the capital, so he has some connections.

The marriage of the emperor's brother-in-law was no small matter, and anyone with a modicum of ambition would inquire about it everywhere.

Not to mention that today the Crown Prince, the Duke of Cao, and the Emperor's brother-in-law, three powerful figures, went to the Song residence together.

There's no way you can hide this from anyone.

"What's the congratulations for?"

Xu Miaoyun blinked.

Zeng Qing became even more curious, and seeing that the teacher did not speak, he immediately moved closer to Fang Xiaoru.

Fang Xiaoru noticed Ma Wenyuan's gaze and wisely kept quiet.

……

The imperial decree for the marriage was delivered to the Emperor's brother-in-law's residence by the chief eunuch the following morning.

Ma Wenyuan had just gotten up and was squatting in the backyard brushing his teeth, using a willow twig dipped in salt.

Zeng Qing scrambled in.

"Teacher! Someone from the palace has arrived! It's an imperial edict!"

Ma Wenyuan tossed the willow branch aside, wiped his mouth with his sleeve, and strode towards the front yard.

The imperial edict was short, but its gist was: Ma Wenyuan and Song Yunlan are of upright character and of suitable social standing; therefore, their marriage is hereby granted, and an auspicious day shall be chosen for their wedding.

As usual, it ends with "謝此" (Imperial Decree).

It was an imperial edict personally issued by Emperor Zhu, which shows the emperor's favor towards Ma Wenyuan.

Ma Wenyuan accepted the imperial decree and slipped some money to the eunuch who delivered it.

Admittedly, he was the emperor's brother-in-law and didn't need to pay attention to such "small fry".

But Ma Wenyuan knew very well what it meant to be a troublesome little devil.

He is always cautious, so naturally he wouldn't skimp on such a small thing.

The eunuch grinned from ear to ear, but dared not accept the gift, only offering repeated congratulations.

"Congratulations, Your Majesty! His Majesty has said that the Imperial Astronomical Bureau is currently selecting a wedding date, and once it is chosen, it will be sent over. Your Majesty can rest assured and prepare accordingly."

The imperial decree has been issued, but that doesn't mean the marriage can happen immediately.

We also need to observe etiquette.

That is, it is based on the simplified version of "Zhu Zi's Family Rituals".

The ceremony is mainly divided into several stages, including betrothal, presenting gifts, setting the wedding date, welcoming the bride, visiting the temple, meeting the bride's parents-in-law, and returning to the bride's parents' home.

It's very complicated, but we have to go through it.

The main purpose is to set an example.

……

The imperial edict arrived at the residence of the emperor's brother-in-law.

The news spread like wildfire throughout Yingtian Prefecture.

The first to arrive was Li Zhen, the Duke of Cao.

The old man couldn't stop smiling from the moment he entered until the moment he left.

He seemed even happier than Ma Wenyuan himself.

Li Zhen mainly came to explain the rules to Ma Wenyuan, and then left.