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

Chapter 673 The Changsun Family Proposes Marriage

afterwards,

Du Shiniang quickly brought a pillow to prop him up.
The pillow was embroidered with a pair of mandarin ducks, so lifelike and vivid.

Li Yi was covered in fine sweat, lying there panting heavily. Shi Niang picked up a silk quilt and covered his stomach, saying, "Don't catch a cold."

"You should cover yourself up too."

The couple last had sex four years ago.
Seeing Shi Niang's earnestness, Li Yi also hoped that she could succeed on her first try. As the legal wife, they had been married for six years but still had no children, even though it was because of the four years of mourning.
But others won't care about all that; they'll only focus on the fact that the legal wife has no children.

Shi Niang must have been under a lot of pressure. She had eight sons and six daughters, none of whom were her own. How could she not be anxious?

She was almost going crazy just now.

"Ah Lang, shall we do it again?" Shi Niang clung to his arm like a little kitten.

Li Yi gently stroked her hair, "I've heard that having many children results in having daughters."

"Then let's do it tomorrow." Du Shiniang also liked daughters, but she also longed to give birth to a legitimate son for the Li family.

Li Yi lowered his head and kissed her, and she quickly turned her head away in embarrassment.

"Let me calculate the date for you; it'll be much more effective than your method of padding it up."

The summer night was quiet.

The couple whispered to each other.
Li Yi calculated the auspicious days for Shi Niang, and today happened to fall within those two or three days. Shi Niang was overjoyed to hear this.

"Ah Lang, let's do it again, don't miss this good day."

"Actually, two or three days is fine,"

Du Shiniang hesitated and struggled, not wanting to miss the once-a-month auspicious day, but also afraid of having too many women and giving birth to a daughter.

"Ha ha,"

"Ah Lang is so wicked, still laughing."

early morning,

The sun has already risen.

Du Shiniang then woke up, and upon opening her eyes and seeing how late it was, she became anxious.

"Oh dear, why did I sleep so late? Ah Lang didn't even wake me up. They're going to laugh at me to death."

"Who dares to laugh? You are a princess, the mistress of the manor. What's wrong with sleeping in? Besides, don't I sleep in with you too?"

My dear wife, you must have had a long night's sleep. A little more sleep will help you look and feel better.

Last night, Du Shiniang, not wanting to miss out on this auspicious day, performed the "Three Variations on Plum Blossom".

As for whether doing more of these things makes it easier to have a daughter, I can't worry about that right now. I'll think about it after I have one. I'll love a daughter just the same; it's better than nothing.

Du Shiniang quickly got up and sat in front of the dressing table, tidying herself up in front of the bronze mirror.

"My lady looks quite well today,"

Women really do need to be pampered.

"I'll help my wife with her eyebrows."

Women in the Tang Dynasty, especially noblewomen, liked to draw their eyebrows in various shapes. However, most of them did not like the eyebrows that were thick and bushy, or even just a clump.

What kind of wide crescent eyebrows are those? From a distance, they look like two black caterpillars hanging on your eyelids.

And the "eight-character" eyebrows are even uglier. Don't draw long eyebrows, draw short eyebrows instead. They're short and thick, and they're drawn into an inverted "eight". I don't know what's so good about them.

Li Yi prefers slender, sparse eyebrows, something more natural, with thin, long, arched eyebrows, or even willow-leaf eyebrows.

The maids in the manor had also followed the trend of drawing their eyebrows thicker and thicker.

Li Yi abruptly stopped the drawing of the fashionable wide crescent eyebrows. The dignified prince had taken charge of the eyebrows of the maids in his household, forbidding them from drawing thick eyebrows. He even specially selected ten eyebrow shapes that he liked to straighten the maids' chubby eyebrows.

Perhaps they felt that plump, wide crescent-shaped eyebrows conveyed a sense of elegance and wealth, as the Tang people gradually admired plumpness and even leaned towards a more voluptuous appearance.

But Li Yi still couldn't quite accept these things.

Li Yi drew Shi Niang's eyebrows like distant mountains, thin and long eyebrows in a light, dark color.

"My wife, is it beautiful?"

Du Shiniang looked at the eyebrows her husband had drawn for her and said, "They look good, but the noblewomen of Chang'an these days still have very wide eyebrows."

Lately, moth-wing eyebrows, dark lips, and high buns are all the rage. My thin, light eyebrows just don't suit them at all.

"Please don't draw any moth-wing eyebrows or dark lips."

The terms "moth-wing eyebrows" and "moth eyebrows" sound similar, but their shapes are vastly different. Moth eyebrows are very light, thin, and curved eyebrows, which Li Yi quite likes.

But moth-wing eyebrows, when drawn, form an inverted V-shape, resembling the outstretched wings of a moth, with two large, wide, and dark patches of black at the eyebrow area.

This may also be the current shift towards voluptuousness as a form of beauty.

But Li Yi really didn't like it.

Those dark lips are lips painted black or crimson, and there's no way they look good.

Du Shiniang came from a prestigious family; the Du clan of Jingzhao was one of the six most prominent families in Guanzhong. Although ranked last among the six, she was now the principal wife of Li Yi, the minister who had made the greatest contribution to the enthronement of the new crown prince.

Du Shiniang is now extremely popular among the noblewomen of Chang'an, receiving countless invitations every day.

“My lord,” Du Shiniang took the lipstick Li Yi gave her; it was a bright pink that made her complexion look good. “Recently, many noble families in Chang’an have wanted to form marriage alliances with our family.”

"Our Shuniang is only five years old, and Ping Anlang is only four."
The younger ones are even smaller; it's too early for them to be married.

Those prestigious families all valued matching social status and engaged in political marriages, only caring about family lineage. Their children often started getting engaged at a very young age.

nowadays,
Countless noble families actively sought to form marriage alliances with the Li family, all because they valued Li Yi's status and position.

Even though Li Yi was just a newly rich man, his status as a member of the Imperial Clan Court, a Prince, and a Prime Minister were enough for those prestigious families to overlook his Taoist origins. Besides, although Li Yi had been a Taoist priest, he was still a descendant of Li Jing, the Duke of Hua.

"A lot of people want to get married?"

"Yes, yes, there are plenty. We have eight sons and six daughters. If you agree, we can get them all engaged in a single day."

Li Yi shook his head. "No rush, the children are still young."

"It's getting late, and finding a truly suitable match isn't easy. After all, it requires not only similar social standing and age, but also good looks and talent..."

Li Yi smiled and stopped his wife, "Stop, marriage is a big deal, take your time choosing."

"I visited Consort Changsun yesterday, and she also brought up the matter of a marriage alliance."

Li Yi was taken aback. "I am now a member of the royal family. How can our Li family possibly form a marriage alliance with the Crown Prince's family?"

"It's not that my family is marrying into the Crown Prince's family, but rather the Crown Princess's family."

Lady Changsun has not yet been officially named the Crown Princess, but it is only a matter of time.

"A marriage alliance with the Changsun family? The Changsun Consort brought it up herself?"

"Yes, yesterday, the wife of Prime Minister Gao and the wife of Duke Changsun were also present. Consort Changsun said that she would betroth the eldest daughter of the Duke of Qi to our eldest son."

The Duke of Qi was none other than Changsun Wuji, Li Shimin's brother-in-law. Based on his role in the conspiracy to enthrone the emperor, he was currently the Left Vice-Minister to the Crown Prince, and had just been promoted from Duke of Shangdang to Duke of Qi.

He was appointed Minister of Personnel and also held the concurrent position of Left General of the Martial Guard.

He was both a relative of the emperor and a meritorious official.

Although he hasn't yet become Prime Minister Bai Maxuan and entered the Council of State Affairs...

But everyone knows that it's only a matter of time before Changsun Wuji becomes prime minister of the Council of State. He currently holds three important positions: Minister of Personnel, Left Vice Minister to the Crown Prince, and General of the Left Martial Guard.

His maternal uncle, Gao Shilian, became prime minister before him, serving as Grand Secretary and concurrently Right Vice-Chancellor to the Crown Prince.

"The eldest daughter of the Duke of Qi was born out of wedlock; her mother was Lady Gao, the daughter of Gao Shilian, the Duke of Qi's maternal uncle..."

Du Shiniang had also inquired about some information. The Changsun woman whom Consort Changsun proposed to arrange the marriage was already seven years old this year, three years older than Li Yishu's eldest son, Duke Rongguo, Li Cong.

She was the eldest daughter of the Changsun family, born to Changsun Wuji and his cousin. Gao was a concubine.

The eldest daughter of a concubine married the eldest son of a concubine.

This was not only a marriage alliance between Changsun Wuji and Li Yi, but also a way for the new crown prince to strengthen his relationship with Li Yi.

"I heard that the Crown Prince's eldest daughter intends to marry Xiao Rui, the eldest son of the Left Minister Xiao," Du Shiniang said, adding another piece of news.

Li Shimin was also using the marriage alliance tactic.

Her harem included members from top noble families such as the Yang family of Hongnong, the Wei family of Jingzhao, the Zheng family of Xingyang, the Xiao family of Lanling, the Wang family of Taiyuan, and the Gao family of Bohai, as well as members from noble families such as the Yin family, the Yan family, and the Xu family.

Now he's starting to arrange marriages for his children.

The eldest daughter of a concubine was betrothed to the son of Xiao Yu, the Left Minister of Works.

He was from the same clan as Li Yi, so he betrothed his niece to Li Yi's son.

It used to be said that the five major surnames and seven clans of Shandong were most fond of intermarriage, and even their direct descendants would only intermarry within this small circle. The Guanzhong aristocracy, on the other hand, valued official titles and military merit.

But now, even the crown prince is starting to arrange political marriages.

“I think a marriage alliance with the Duke of Qi is not bad,” Shi Niang said frankly, quite satisfied with the marriage. “Lady Changsun even invited me to her house for tea in a couple of days, so I can meet the daughter of the Changsun family.”

“It’s so small, what can you tell?” Li Yi asked.

“You can tell from appearance and intelligence, and even personality.”

Of course, these are not the main points. As long as it's not too bad, the key is still family background.

Li Yi and Changsun Wuji were both newly rich, and their families were a good match.

"It was Consort Changsun who brought this up, so it wasn't easy to refuse," said Shi Niang.

"The eldest granddaughter is three years older than our eldest son."

"A woman three years older than her husband is like a golden brick," Shi Niang said with a smile. "Since Consort Changsun and Madam Changsun brought it up themselves, we couldn't very well refuse."

Even though Li Cong was an illegitimate daughter of the Changsun family, he was still of extraordinary status. If Li Cong hadn't been Li Yi's eldest son and held the title of Duke of Rong, the Changsun family might not have been willing to agree to this marriage.

Li Yi felt a bit of a headache.

Yesterday, Li Shimin bestowed his sister-in-law, Wei Tan, upon him as a concubine, and now Consort Changsun is going to betroth her niece, Lady Changsun, to his eldest son.

Even though he felt it was too early to talk about marriage for his children, it was still a tradition these days.

“Ah Lang, I think this marriage is really good.”

"Okay, let's keep an eye on it."

I drew my wife's eyebrows.

Li Yi's stomach was rumbling. "Let's go have breakfast first. I worked really hard last night, and my stomach is growling. I need to fill it up quickly."

Shi Niang blushed and reached out to pinch Li Yi instead.

Li Yi laughed heartily and ran out first.

I have a day off today, so I don't have to get up early for court or attend official business at the government office.

As soon as he went out,

Luo San Niang came forward and said, "I've made some soup for Ah Lang."

As Li Yi sipped his soup, Luo Sanniang reported to him with the account book, "The gold, silver, and utensils bestowed upon the Qi Prince's residence by the Crown Prince, as well as the twelve thousand bolts of silk, have all been registered and put into storage."

The gifts also included spices such as black pepper and stalactite; there were over a hundred bushels of black pepper alone. What should be done with all of this?

"Sell the black pepper and stalactite to the spice merchants in Chang'an at market price; there's no need to keep them."

"If we sell everything, it will be worth more than ten thousand taels of gold. How should we manage such a large sum of money? Should we use it to buy land?" Third Sister asked.

Buying land is undoubtedly the simplest and most stable investment.

Buying land, raising slaves, engaging in planting and animal husbandry, and setting up some handicraft workshops—this is a sure-fire way to make money and achieve sustainable growth.

"Stop buying land. We already have enough land, even too much. Next, we need to gradually sell some of our land in the capital region and the Central Plains."

Upon hearing this, Luo San Niang became anxious. Land in the capital region and Luoyang area of ​​the Central Plains is now extremely difficult to buy, and prices are constantly rising. It is the most valuable asset. Why not only not buy it, but also give up what she has?
(End of this chapter)