A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Starting from the Village Chief

Chapter 130 Let’s have the wedding this month

Du Ruhui came to visit.

Li Yi hurriedly welcomed him in, and Du Shiniang looked at him expectantly.

"I've traveled a hundred miles back and forth, but I haven't even had a sip of water." Du Ruhui said with a smile.

"I'll make tea for you, brother."

Shi Niang quickly made tea, and the tea set she used happened to be the one that Li Yi had given to Du Ruhui when he visited him in Duqu.

"Shi Niang is now in charge?" Du Ruhui teased his cousin.

Shi Niang blushed, "Brother, have you seen grandma?"

"I haven't had my tea yet."

Shi Niang fetched the tea cakes in a hurry.
"I'll make some elm leaf tea for Mr. Du. It's the one my senior brother Sun Zhongcheng gave me last time. His mother picked it herself and made it. It's quite refreshing and can calm people down."

Du Ruhui smiled and said, "Then you have to try it."

After the tea was brewed and Du Ruhui finished a cup, he said, "Get a pair of wild geese ready."

Upon hearing this, Shi Niang was overjoyed.

The etiquette of Tang Dynasty weddings, especially those of prominent families, was very complicated. Generally speaking, it consisted of three books and six ceremonies, and it was customary to prepare a pair of wild geese every time.

"Azu agreed?"

Du Ruhui smiled, "I have already taken your grandfather back to Anrenfang. You can come with me to pay him a visit later, but remember not to let anything slip.

I told the old lady that you two were already husband and wife, and that you two stayed in the same room in my house last night.
For this, I was slapped by the old lady.

I am taking all this punishment for you."

Du Shiniang blushed. Although this was a plan that had been agreed upon long ago, she still felt ashamed at this moment as she was still a virgin.

"Thank you, Mr. Du,"

Du Ruhui put down his teacup and said, "Why are you being so formal? From now on, just call me brother. From now on, our two surnames will be united and we will be one family."

"Thank you, second brother." Li Yi immediately took advantage of the situation.

"Hahaha, okay, it seems like I've barely passed this first level. Wuyi, find a matchmaker."

"Second brother, what do you think about asking my senior brother to be the matchmaker?"

Li Yi didn't know many people of status. Du Ruhui was one of them, but he was Shi Niang's cousin. Sun Fujia was one of them.

The King of Qin could barely be considered one, but Li Shimin was currently stationed at Changchun Palace, which was located on the banks of the Yellow River in Tongzhou, and was in charge of the troops in Guandong. He had no time to act as a matchmaker and propose marriage to him.

"Sun Zhongcheng is qualified. He is a fifth-rank imperial censor and a Jinshi. He is also your senior brother from the same school. He can be the matchmaker." Du Ruhui nodded.

Li Yi was quite surprised at Du Ruhui's ability to do things.
Although the deception to Guo and others was already a fait accompli, it would not be so easy to convince Guo with just this unconfirmed news.

Shi Niang was both excited and nervous.

I was afraid that things would get worse after I saw my grandmother.

But an ugly daughter-in-law also has to meet her parents-in-law, and this matter now has to face the hurdle of Mrs. Guo.

Fortunately, Du Ruhui stood firmly on their side, offering advice and suggestions as well as running around and working hard.

Li Yi changed into new clothes.

"Didn't His Majesty give you a scarlet robe? Put it on and tie the golden belt given to you by the prince." Du Ruhui suggested, shaking his head when he saw him wearing a blue shirt.

"No need. Even if I wear scarlet, I am nothing compared to the Du family of Jingzhao."

"Well, Long, you don't need to belittle yourself. You are now a founding Viscount of Qianshui County and a rank-holder of the Nine-Rank General. You have earned this through your own abilities. You even achieved three great feats in just a hundred days.

I'm a little envious, I'm a fifth rank, but I don't have a title."

Noblemen are granted only for great merits.

To be granted a title, one must especially have military merit.

Li Yi was granted a title twice, both times for his military achievements, which were not small. Once he presented medicine to the King of Qin, which helped the King of Qin turn defeat into victory and win a great victory in Changwu.

Once, he organized the people of the seven villages of Xingshengli to resist the rebellion of the Qiang soldiers. Not only did he save hundreds of villagers, he also killed the leader of the rebellious Qiang and beheaded twelve Qiang bandits. These were all real achievements. Although he didn't do it, they were all his slaves, so naturally they were counted on his shoulders.

The last time he followed the army to the battlefield, he also made many contributions.

Although Du Ruhui had been a county lieutenant in the previous dynasty and was now a fifth-rank official in the Tang Dynasty, he had only accumulated five levels of honors and had not yet had the opportunity to be awarded a title.

Li Yi returned,
Ji helped him change his clothes.

Clothes make the man, and saddles make the horse. When Li Yi put on the scarlet silk robe that only officials of the fifth rank and above could wear, tied on a seven-belt golden belt, and wore the golden knife awarded by the King of Qin and the shark skin gold-inlaid sheathed sword awarded by the Crown Prince,
Sure enough, he became a completely different person.

"The silk pattern of the intertwined branches of Rehmannia is really beautiful."

Officials' clothes were made of silk. The higher their rank, the better the silk, and even the patterns on them were different.
Officials below the sixth rank wore silk robes with no patterns on them.

The fourth and fifth grades have patterns of intertwined branches of Rehmannia, while the third grade and above have patterns of double peacocks, geese holding ribbons, and falcons holding auspicious grass.

The patterns are of different sizes,
The patterns on some aristocratic silk robes were extremely large, with large single-nest patterns reaching a diameter of more than 40 centimeters.

Of course, the most eye-catching thing is the color of the robe.

Although there are no strict regulations on the color of robes in the Tang Dynasty, there is basically an unspoken rule.

Those above the third rank wear purple, those above the fourth and fifth rank wear scarlet, those above the sixth and seventh rank wear green, and those above the eighth and ninth rank wear blue.

The officials outside the imperial court wore crimson robes, and those below them wore black or yellow robes, while the common people mostly wore brown, white, gray robes, etc.

A sixteen-year-old young man,

Wearing a scarlet robe and a golden belt,
The silk robe has a four-nest pattern of intertwined Rehmannia glutinosa, which is quite conspicuous, standing out from the crowd and leading the trend.
Most people would think that this is a noble boy.
Who would have thought that this was a young man who started from scratch, and that it only took him a hundred days to achieve all this.

Ji Lingyi looked a little dazed, as if thinking of her past,
"Alang is still missing a piece of jade. It would be even better if you tie another piece of jade."

Li Yi has a piece of jade, the one Wu Yi has worn since childhood, a piece of jade with the word "Li" engraved on it. Last time, I showed it to Du Shiniang, who said that the jade was very good.

Li Yi was unwilling to take it, just as he told Shi Niang, no matter which Chang'an noble family the Li family on the jade was, since they had abandoned him like that, there was no need for him to find it back.
He even didn't want to carry the jade anymore.

"Ah Lang will meet Mrs. Guo later. He must be polite and well-mannered. She may give A Lang a hard time or even say something unpleasant, but he must endure it and not be disrespectful.
This marriage is indeed marrying up."

Li Yi didn't like hearing this, but he also knew that she was doing it for his own good. "Why don't you come with me?"

Ji Lingyi shook her head, "Ah Lang, just remember that courtesy is always welcome."

Li Yi smiled and said, "You should say less. If I make Madam Guo angry to death, then this matter will be troublesome."

"This joke is not funny at all. Madam Guo comes from a prominent family and has been in charge of the Fengxiang Marquisate for so many years. She must have lived a life of luxury and is used to being powerful. Please don't contradict her. Just think of it as something for Shi Niang's own good."

"You're right. She's already seventy-nine. Why should I bother with her?"

Li Yi came to the central hall wearing a scarlet robe.

Du Ruhui smiled and praised him, "He is so charming and handsome."

Du Shiniang also covered her mouth and chuckled, she liked it very much.

"Alang is still missing a piece of jade. A gentleman never leaves his jade without a reason. A gentleman is modest and gentle like jade." The more Shi Niang looked at Li Yi, the more she liked him. Li Yi usually dressed relatively casually, but today he was dressed in a formal manner and looked exceptionally handsome.

"I have a piece of jade here, wear it, Alang." Du Shiniang gave Li Yi a piece of her own jade pendant to tie around his waist.

This is a jade pendant composed of cloud patterns and bats. The cloud pattern is shaped like a ruyi, which is continuous and means long-lasting good fortune. The bat symbolizes blessings and endless happiness.

Du Ruhui knew that this Liuyun Baifu jade pendant was given to Shi Niang by Old Lady Guo, and she had been wearing it since she was a child. This piece of jade was very precious.

"Let's go."

"Let's go to the East Market to buy wild geese first!" Li Yi said.

Du Ruhui laughed heartily, "You really plan to bring two wild geese with you. Today, you're just going to pay your respects to the old lady. When you invite a matchmaker to come, you can bring the wild geese with you."

The first of the six rituals is offering gifts.

The man asks a matchmaker to come to the woman's house to propose marriage, and after receiving a yes, he asks the matchmaker to formally propose marriage to the woman's family.

Generally, Nacai will be carried out together with Wenming and Naji. The woman will be asked for her name and horoscope to predict good or bad luck. After matching the horoscopes, the result will be notified to the woman, and gifts will be given to confirm the engagement.

When the betrothal gift is sent to the girl's family, it is formally presented. "Zheng" means success.

The betrothal gift is given first and then the marriage takes place. Only after this ceremony is the engagement considered complete, and the man will also give the betrothal certificate to the woman.

Li Yi really didn't understand the rules of the three books and six ceremonies.
Du Ruhui said no, so he went straight to the door.

Along the way, Du Shiniang was excited and nervous.

When she arrived at Du Ruhui's house, she didn't even dare to enter.

It was Li Yi who took her hand and gave her courage.
Du Ruhui just laughed when he saw it, and led the two of them straight to the center hall of the inner courtyard.

Guo came to Chang'an City by car and sat there feeling a little tired.

"Grandma, Shi Niang and Wu Yi are here to pay their respects."

Guo raised her eyelids.

A pair of cloudy eyes suddenly became sharp,
She sat up straight, trying to maintain her dignity.

But when she saw her granddaughter Shi Niang appearing in front of her hand in hand with Li Yi, she almost fainted from anger. On the way here, she actually felt that Du Ruhui was lying to him. She had watched Shi Niang grow up, and it was impossible for her to be so shameless and ignorant of etiquette as to elope with a peasant boy.

But at this moment,
She believed it.

Guo's lips trembled, and she raised her hand to scold Shi Niang.

But I couldn't utter the last word.
She looked at her granddaughter's belly. Although everything seemed normal now, she might have already conceived an illegitimate child.

What a sin,
How could her most beloved and cherished jewel, the legitimate daughter of the Jingzhao Du family's Fengxiang Marquisate, suddenly become like she was possessed by a ghost?

"Li Yi of Yushuchuan, I'm here to meet the old lady."

Shi Niang stuttered, "A-Zu,"

Guo sighed.
There is nothing more to say.

The girl grew up and her elbows turned outward. Once the girl grew up, the water she spilled could not be taken back.

Guo touched her forehead with her hand and said, "I am a little tired after the bumpy ride from Duqu. I will go and rest first. I will let your brother help arrange your affairs.

If it's time to hire a matchmaker, hire one, pick an auspicious day, and go through the formalities quickly."

"Shi Niang, come here and help me back to the house,"

Guo stood up and called Shi Niang over.

She looked at Li Yi and said, "You two should not meet again until the betrothal gifts are accepted and the marriage certificate is delivered."

After saying that, she glanced at Shi Niang's belly again, and then said to Du Ruhui: "September and October are golden months, this month is very good, let's try to hold the wedding this month."

But we can't wait until the belly gets bigger to hold the wedding, and we can't wait until the child is born to hold the wedding. Jingzhao Du, as well as her Guo and Du Yan, can't afford to lose face.

It’s a bargain for this farmhouse.

Guo hated Du Ruhui even more in her heart, and they both hated each other.

(End of this chapter)