Guiyi Fei Tang

Chapter 205 Moving forward together
"Crackling..."

It is mid-October and firecrackers are blasting, but today is not a festival; it is the day Liu Jilong is getting married.

The street of about 200 steps from the provincial government office to the Protectorate was lined with bamboos on both sides, and at this moment it was making a lot of noise from the smoke from the braziers, making it very lively.

On the street, Chen Jingchong and Geng Ming rode on tall horses to pick up Liu Jilong's bride.

Behind them, a long wedding procession dressed in red and green stretched from the Protectorate to the provincial government.

Marrying a wife in the Tang Dynasty was rather complicated. For example, after Qi Niangzi and her friends arrived yesterday, they sent people to the inner bedroom of the Protectorate to prepare the room for the newlyweds. This process is called "setting up the room".

When it is time to pick up the bride, the wedding party has to send someone outside the bride's room to urge her to get dressed. The so-called urging her to get dressed means reading aloud a poem to urge the bride to get dressed as soon as possible.

The Longyou government office was full of rough people, and Gao Jinda was not good at writing poetry, so the poem urging the bride to get dressed had to be written by Liu Jilong.

Fortunately, he was a student of liberal arts, so copying some poems urging her to get ready was not a difficult task for him.

"Shy and unwilling to get off the dressing table, the maid rings Jiu Zichai. Send a message to the tired makeup man, lightly apply vermilion powder to learn how to be lazy."

Inside the house, listening to the poem outside urging her to get dressed, Lady Qi, who had already put on her makeup, couldn't help but wonder, "Who wrote this?"

"Why do you need to write for me?" Feng Bangyan said with a smile, "This was written by Mr. Liu last night."

"How could Liu Langjun, who was born a slave, write such a poem to urge people to get dressed?"

Lady Qi was surprised, and Feng Bangyan also smiled and said, "My dear sister, now you know what kind of man my brother has chosen for you, right?"

Hearing this, Qi Niangzi nodded with a red face, while the poems urging her to get ready continued outside the courtyard.

"Every ten steps I take, music resounds through the blue sky. I can’t put on my makeup in the long night. I am ashamed to let others test my black eyebrow, so I save it for Liu Lang to draw after he sees me."

"Speaking of getting married, I am frightened and infatuated all day, with the jade chopsticks hanging down in front of the wine cup. I don't know that my husband loves me so much, but I still remember the time when I scolded my mother..."

The three poems urging the girls to get dressed were enough to demonstrate Liu Jilian's talent. Seeing this, Feng Bangyan ordered people to open the door and escorted the veiled Lady Qi out.

Chen Jingchong put away the poem written by Liu Jilong urging her to get ready, and ordered the strong women and maids in the inner courtyard of the Protectorate to escort Qi Niangzi out.

Soon, they walked out of the provincial government office and got into the sedan chair, and escorted the sedan chair to the Protectorate.

Outside the gate of the Protectorate, many officials watched Liu Jilian get married with a smile.

Two strong women stood in for Qi Niangzi's grandmother and mother, holding wooden sticks and waiting, while Liu Jilong walked down the stairs and turned around, revealing his defenseless back.

Two strong women tapped Liu Jilong gently on the back with sticks, which was considered as a son-in-law according to the etiquette.

After doing all this, Liu Jilong climbed onto the horse and walked around the sedan chair three times, which was called "barrier car".

After Liu Jilian dismounted from his horse, the officials present took out the gift money they had prepared and put it into the bamboo basket at the gate of the Protectorate.

Then, the strong women spread silk on the ground, and Qi Niangzi also walked out of the sedan chair wearing a veil, and walked towards the inner courtyard on the silk.

Seeing the silk being spread on the ground for people to step on, Wang Sifeng said with a sigh:
"Such fine silk is being trampled on by others. The wedding of a noble family is indeed a grand occasion."

Chen Jingchong, who was standing next to him, patted him on the shoulder, signaling him not to talk too much, and explained:
"This letter to Lady Qi is already very considerate of Marshal Jie. I heard that when a daughter of a famous family marries, she will have to lay out a brocade."

“Even the common people in the Central Plains have to lay sacks.”

Chen Jingchong explained to everyone that after all, most of the generals in Longyou came from poor backgrounds, so it was normal that they didn't know these etiquettes.

During their conversation, Qi Niangzi first went to the kitchen in the inner courtyard and worshiped the stove. Then she went to the inner hall and stepped over the saddle at the door, implying a peaceful life after marriage.

Afterwards, with everyone witnessing, Liu Jilong took Qi Niangzi into the inner hall to worship, and scattered several pounds of grains at the door.

When everything was done, the maid took Qi Niangzi to the bedroom, while Liu Jilong asked everyone to go through the side door to the main gate of the Protectorate and reenter the house to take their seats.

Liu Jilong only felt that all this was very lively. Although it was more complicated than the weddings in later generations, it was more interesting and he also enjoyed it.

Of course, regardless of ancient or modern times, there are relatively few people who are truly happy for others' marriages. Most people care more about what they can eat at the banquet.

In October in Longyou, meat is still the main food, and the only vegetables available are radishes, cabbages, leeks and other vegetables.

Fried mutton, roast duck, pork and cabbage, leek and egg, chicken soup with radish, steamed pig's trotters, fried river fish, braised sheep's head and trotters, goose meat, pepper and sesame minced beef and other dishes were served one after another...

Twelve hundred banquet tables were set up inside and outside the Protectorate to entertain officials from various states and counties, as well as the relatives of martyrs in Didao.

The entire wedding banquet used 23,000 kilograms of rice wine, 1,600 fish, 2,400 chickens and ducks, 700 sheep, 72 pigs, 34 cows, and 500 geese.

There are countless other rice, wheat, tea, sugar, red beans, vegetables and peppercorns.

The wedding banquet cost nearly two thousand strings of cash, which was probably the most expensive banquet Liu Jilian had ever spent on personally.

Of course, he also received a lot of gifts, so he toasted almost all the dozen tables in the main hall during the entire banquet.

For the following time, he basically ate meat and chatted until it was dark and the show was over, then he returned to the inner hall.

Liu Jilong's bed was not a couch, but a bed similar to a step-out bed that he had someone build.

Wearing a transparent veil on her head and dressed in green, Qi Niangzi was holding a round fan, waiting for Liu Jilian to remove the veil for her.

Liu Jilong was very sober and he wanted to see what Qi Niangzi looked like right now.

In a breath, he walked in front of the Seventh Lady. The Seventh Lady's face was hazy under the transparent forehead veil, but it could be seen that she was good-looking.

Seeing this, Liu Jilong breathed a sigh of relief.

Although he married Feng Ao for his support and dowry, he couldn't stand having to live with Dong Shi and her like every day.

Thinking of this, he reached out and removed the forehead veil of Qi Niangzi, and Qi Niangzi's distinct black and white almond-shaped eyes also looked up at him.

"Mr. Lang..."

The Seventh Lady put down the round fan in front of her. Liu Jilong looked at her carefully and thought that the Seventh Lady was indeed beautiful.

Compared with his indifference, Qi Niangzi's heart almost jumped out of her throat when she saw Liu Jilong's appearance.

She was still expecting Liu Jilong to say some sweet words to her, but when she saw Liu Jilong turn and leave, she couldn't help feeling disappointed.

Fortunately, Liu Jilong only went to get the wine glasses, and came back to hand her a glass: "It's time to drink the wine."

Qi Niangzi's mood improved. She took the wine glass with a frown and drank the wine with Liu Jilong.

"Want to write more fan poems?"

Liu Jilong looked at Qi Niangzi's expression and knew that she was no longer interested in the formalities. He reached out his hand and held her in his arms, then lowered his head and sniffed her.

The fragrance of pear blossoms wafted over, reminding Liu Jilong of the phrase "a branch of pear blossoms overshadows a crabapple tree."

Fortunately, he is only six years older than Qi Niangzi, otherwise he would really be "Zhang Xian".

"My dear, I have already seen your talent in the poem urging you to get dressed in the state government office. Why do you need to write a poem for the fan?"

Qi Niangzi felt the warmth of Liu Jilong's arms and embrace, her pretty face flushed, and she almost buried her head in his chest.

Seeing her like this, Liu Jilong deliberately spoke in her ear, causing heat to surge and a tingling sensation.

Soon, their red lips were pressed tightly together, and their pink faces were leaning against each other; their necks were intertwined, like mandarin ducks playing in the water, with their hearts tied together.

The words were full of promises, making them charming and alluring...

After the lovemaking at Wushan, when they woke up the next day, the girl had tied her hair up high, and Liu Jilong had also put on his middle garment.

"I am changing your clothes for you, my lord."

Qi Niangzi, who had just tied up her hair, stood up and helped Liu Jilong to dress. Seeing her rosy cheeks, Liu Jilong couldn't help but kiss her.

Without waiting for Qi Niangzi to feel shy, Liu Jilong said, "There are not many rules in my inner courtyard, but there is one thing you must remember."

"My dear, please speak." Lady Qi was extremely satisfied with Liu Jilong. She could listen to whatever Liu Jilong said.

Seeing her like this, Liu Jilong also ordered: "My Longyou is different from the Central Plains. There are no slaves."

"Most of these servants in the inner courtyard are children of the city's common people, or relatives of martyrs."

"If they do something wrong, don't let anyone teach them a lesson. Just ask Mrs. Zhang or your personal maids to criticize and punish them."

"If they don't change after repeated admonitions, they will be fired and replaced with new people."

"Then I'll listen to you, my dear." Lady Qi hugged Liu Jilong tightly, wishing she could hold him in her arms, and was reluctant to let him leave her even a step.

"Hehe... My three concubines live in the West Flower Hall. As their mistress, you should teach them to respect you, but don't humiliate them."

"Hmm..." Seventh Lady had no intention of listening to what Liu Jilong said. She just hugged him tightly, not wanting him to leave.

"Well, don't keep anyone waiting."

After Liu Jilong finished speaking, Qi Niangzi reluctantly let him go, and Liu Jilong also said to the outside world: "Mrs. Zhang!"

There were three knocks on the door before it was pushed open.

Mrs. Zhang came in with a few pretty maids, each holding toiletries in their hands.

Before Liu Jilong opened his mouth, Qi Niangzi came forward to ask Mrs. Zhang enthusiastically, "You must be Mrs. Zhang, right?"

"Madam, I am Mrs. Zhang." Mrs. Zhang bowed with a smile, and the Seventh Lady supported her, then looked at the pretty maids. "My lord said that slaves are not popular in Longyou. If that's the case, I will remove your slave status and treat you like other maids in the mansion in the future."

"If anyone wants to leave the house and get married, I will find a good family for you. It is better than choosing one by yourself."

As Lady Qi started to speak, several maids who had followed her from Shannan knelt down and kowtowed: "Thank you, Sir and Madam, for your kindness."

"Stand up. Bowing and kneeling are not customary in Longyou."

Liu Jilong gave some instructions and then went to wash up with Qi Niangzi.

After washing up, the two went to the inner hall, while Mrs. Zhang prepared breakfast.

Liu Jilong had told Mrs. Zhang in advance to ask him to communicate with Qi Niang's maid so that all three meals in the future would be prepared according to Qi Niang's preferences.

The Longyou Protectorate is so big that it is impossible for Qi Niangzi to starve.

Facts have proved that Seventh Lady is indeed the daughter of a noble family who was spoiled by Feng Ao Jiao. Her breakfast alone has eleven dishes and desserts.

Such as fried quail with bamboo shoots, fried pigeons, crab cooked with wine, clams, crispy raw tofu, all-you-can-eat stew, garlic cheese, bean soup, tea, fried cakes, red bean paste buns, etc.

Seeing so much food, Liu Jilong was a little stunned. Fortunately, Qi Niangzi saw this and said:
"Mrs. Zhang, from now on, just make three dishes and two desserts for breakfast."

After that, she looked at Liu Jilong again and asked, "My dear, do you like rice or noodles in the morning?"

"Either is fine." Liu Jilong admired Qi Niangzi for being sensible. Qi Niangzi then told Mrs. Zhang to just prepare a serving of rice or noodles later.

After Mrs. Zhang agreed, she began to pick up food for Liu Jilong. Her eyes were full of Liu Jilong and she was reluctant to look away.

Liu Jilong felt his scalp tingling when he saw her, and he could only find some topics to talk about.

"I looked at the marriage certificate last night. Why is it written that Xijun's name is Feng Qi Niangzi? Why is it not written as her full name?"

Upon hearing this, Lady Qi said, "The maiden names of girls in each family should not be shown to the public. Even the queen is often addressed by her honorific title."

When Qi Niangzi said this, Liu Jilong said, "It's nothing more than a restriction of etiquette. From what I've seen in the Northern and Southern Dynasties and before, it was okay for women to leave their names behind."

"Please tell me your name, my dear. I won't be a man who doesn't know my wife's name."

Liu Jilong's behavior shocked Lady Qi, but she was moved afterwards: "My name is Hui."

"Emblem?" Liu Jilong chuckled when he heard it: "Okay, I'll remember it."

Feng Hui felt warmed when she saw that Liu Jilong attached so much importance to her name. Liu Jilong also hurriedly ate his meal and then said:
"I'm going to the outer courtyard to be the director. If you need to find me, just ask Sister Zhang to send someone to find me."

"Goodbye, my dear." Feng Hui nodded, stood up and walked him out of the hospital.

After he walked out of the inner courtyard and the gate closed, Feng Hui looked at Mrs. Zhang and said, "Please take me to the West Flower Hall, Mrs. Zhang."

"Yes..." Mrs. Zhang was nervous, but she still agreed.

Normally, the second day after the wedding is for visiting the uncle and aunt, and for the man’s ancestors.

However, Liu Jilong did not build a family temple, and Feng Bangyan also asked Liu Jilong to rest more, so these two steps were not taken.

When Liu Jilian arrived at the main hall, the provincial governors under the Longyou Military Governor's Office, as well as Yang Zhiwen and Feng Bangyan, had been waiting for a long time.

"Take a seat!"

Liu Jilong gestured and sat down in the main seat in the main hall.

After taking his seat, Gao Jinda bowed and said, "General, news has come from He and Tao states that Lun Kongre saw our army stationed in the valley road, so he turned his troops around and headed north."

"Yeah," Liu Jilong nodded, and then asked, "Is Cui Shu not back yet?"

"Not yet." Gao Jinda shook his head in response, and then starting with Chen Jingchong and Geng Ming, the governors of each state began to report on their work in the past few days.

For example, how much population has increased in each state, how much wasteland has been reclaimed, how much water conservancy has been built, etc.

Liu Jilian did not avoid Yang Zhiwen and Feng Bangyan because he knew that both of them wanted to support him in order to get promoted.

Moreover, there are many backups of Longyou population maps and maps in Chang'an City. Even if we don't know the specific population and arable land conditions, we can still make a rough estimate.

It has to be said that after marrying Feng Ao, Liu Jilong still gained many benefits.

In more than two months, he obtained nearly 10,000 people from Shannan West Road, including 3,600 young and strong people as dowry for Feng Hui, without spending any money.

As for the remaining 7,000 people, they were those who migrated through the horse-and-mouth trade and paid more than 20,000 strings of money.

Currently, the population of Longyou has grown to 170,000. If Feng Ao continues to provide assistance, the population will increase even more.

Thinking of this, Liu Jilong looked at Feng Bangyan and Yang Zhiwen.

"I'd like to trouble you and General Yang to spend some time on this matter."

"That's not right, General Jie." Feng Bangyan spoke first:

"Tens of thousands of starving people in Sanchuan have nowhere to go, and the imperial court has not allocated money or food for disaster relief. If the military commander had not taken them in, they would have frozen to death in the wilderness."

After he finished speaking, Yang Zhiwen also bowed and said:

"When we entered Wuzhou, we heard that the governors of various states were relocating their populations."

"News came this morning that more than 7,000 horses have arrived in Lizhou and will enter Wuzhou soon. I'd like to trouble the commander to prepare money so that he can appoint the minister to manage the governors of various states."

"Of course!" Liu Jilong's eyes lit up and he nodded at Gao Jinda, who also understood what he meant.

He signaled to the recorder behind him with his eyes, and the recorder left the main hall. Liu Jilong also said to Yang Zhiwen:

"There is enough money in Longyou. I hope you can send the hungry people in Sanchuan to Wuzhou before the spring plowing."

Although a considerable population has been gained, this amount of population is undoubtedly a drop in the bucket for the entire Longyou.

On the Jiannan Road side, Liu Jilian was preparing to start his efforts after Yang Fugong returned to Chengdu, but he could not stop on the Shannan West Road either.

"Don't worry, Marshal Jie!"

Feng Bangyan took the initiative to bow and said, "We will return to Xingyuan Prefecture tomorrow. When we return to Xingyuan Prefecture, we will definitely urge the old man."

"Then I'll trouble you, brother." Liu Jilong also gave Feng Bangyan enough respect.

At the same time, the recorder who had left earlier also walked into the hall with a dozen armored soldiers, carrying boxes.

Six boxes were opened, revealing gold bars stacked inside.

Liu Jilong raised his hand to Feng Bangyan and Yang Zhiwen and said, "Here is 16,000 taels of gold. Please take it back to Xingyuan Prefecture and arrange for it."

Seeing this, Feng Bangyan and Yang Zhiwen hurriedly asked Liu Jilong to rest assured: "We will return to Xingyuan Prefecture tomorrow and take care of the more than 7,000 horses when we arrive in Wuzhou."

"As for the remaining money, General Jie, don't worry. A sufficient number of horses will arrive in Wuzhou before the spring plowing."

Seeing the two of them make a promise, Liu Jilong felt relieved.

He chuckled and stood up, then nodded and said, "In that case, let's go our separate ways."

"Dou Jingchong and Wang Sifeng, you two will be responsible for leading the troops to escort my brother and General Yang back to Xingyuan Prefecture."

"I obey your command!" Dou Jingchong and Wang Sifeng bowed quickly in response, and then everyone stood up and left one after another.

While they left, Gao Jinda, Chen Jingchong and Geng Ming did not leave.

After everyone left, Liu Jilong walked down from the platform, and the four people came up.

"This batch of gold from the Marshal is worth 120,000 strings of cash. In addition to the 7,000 people in Lizhou, it can at least buy 13,000 to 14,000 people."

"I want to place them in Hezhou so that I can recruit civilians when I use the army against Shankuo in the future."

Gao Jinda made a suggestion, and Liu Jilong nodded in agreement: "Let's do as you say."

"In addition, you can contact Yu Conghui and others and ask them to buy Han slaves from various places in Jiannan Road. When Yang Fugong returns to Chengdu and opens the Jiannan Road trade route, take these slaves north."

Compared with Shannan West Road, which has a population of only one million on paper, Jiannan Road, which has a population of four million on paper, is the place that Liu Jilong attaches the most importance to.

It was impossible for him to wait until the Tang Dynasty and Nanzhao broke up before relocating the population of Jiannan Road, but Yang Fugong provided Liu Jilong with this opportunity.

It is a good route for the population to migrate from Jiannan Road to Songzhou, and then go north to Die, Min, and Linwei states via Songzhou.

"General Jie, will Yang Fugong regret it?"

Chen Jingchong asked worriedly, but Liu Jilong shook his head and said, "No."

"These state officials in the Tang Dynasty dare to sell out even innocent people as long as they are given enough money, let alone hungry people?"

Gao Jinda also agreed, "Marshal Jie is right. I will send someone to contact Yu Conghui and the others later."

Seeing Gao Jinda's response, Liu Jilong turned around, walked back to the main seat and sat down.

"The population migration must be accelerated. If the imperial court knew that Feng Ao and I were father-in-law and son-in-law, they would definitely try to make trouble for me."

"Before he attacks Feng Ao, try to move the hungry people from Sanchuan to Longxi!"

(End of this chapter)