The two of them traveled through the Tang Dynasty to open a supermarket, and the little Sizi was sup

Chapter 209 Discussing the Engagement Process!

"Changle, is there anything else?" Xiao Ran asked.

Li Lizhi seemed a little embarrassed, not quite at ease. "We're getting engaged tomorrow, and there are some procedures I need to discuss with my fiancé."

"I know you don't like these things, but these procedures have to be followed in the Tang Dynasty. Please understand."

Xiao Ran smiled and said, "Changle, you're being too polite. I don't know about these procedures. Actually, I'm quite curious. Since I don't know, it's good to experience it for myself now."

Li Lizhi smiled and said, "Then I'll talk to the young master about it."

The two sat down in the villa's lobby.

Li Lizhi twisted the hem of her skirt with her fingertips, sitting upright on the sofa, much like the reserved person she was when she first met the emperor.

In the warm light of the floor lamp, the faint blush on the tips of her ears was more vivid than the soft glow of her phone screen: "Several departments will be coming tomorrow. The people from the Imperial Clan Court will mainly be verifying our identity documents, and..."

The primary responsibility of the Imperial Clan Court was to compile and maintain the imperial genealogy, recording the lineage, kinship, and succession of titles among members of the imperial family.

The eligibility of royal marriages was verified to ensure the impeccable background of the prince consorts and princesses.

For example, if a princess were to become engaged, the Imperial Clan Court would need to verify the groom's family genealogy to confirm that he was not a "lowly person" or a descendant of a disgraced official.

In funeral rites, the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs was responsible for drafting posthumous titles, arranging the specifications of mausoleums, and supervising the period of mourning.

According to the "Tang Liudian" (Six Codes of the Tang Dynasty), the Zongzheng Temple was responsible for "managing the registers of the emperor's nine clans and six relatives, distinguishing the order of seniority and recording the degree of kinship."

"To confirm if I'm a 'lawful citizen,' right?" Xiao Ran chuckled as he straightened the fallen cushion for her. "Like checking household registration records when getting a marriage certificate in modern times?"

Li Lizhi was amused and her shoulders trembled slightly: "Pretty much. They will bring some ceremonial objects, but these are not important, so it has been simplified to document verification."

"Then how about asking for names?" Xiao Ran moved closer to Li Lizhi, smelling a faint strawberry scent in her hair, clearly indicating she had used the little princess's shampoo. "Should we exchange birth dates and times?"

“Hmm.” Li Lizhi pulled up a photo on her phone, showing two handwritten notes. “I’ve drafted a birth date for the young master, writing ‘a member of a scattered gentry family at the end of the Sui Dynasty.’ The Imperial Clan Court will give these to the department in charge of astronomy to see if the celestial phenomena match.”

"The department in charge of astronomy?" Xiao Ran raised an eyebrow. "The Imperial Observatory?"

Li Lizhi nodded: "They will observe the position of Jupiter and say that 'Jupiter entering the Southern Dipper' is the most auspicious. It's just for good luck, young man, don't take it to heart."

“Young man, you need to have a name; it’s a symbol of adulthood.”

Xiao Ran scratched his head. "I don't have these now, and I haven't thought about this issue."

I only know a little about characters from reading Romance of the Three Kingdoms; otherwise, I wouldn't know anything.

Li Lizhi pondered for a moment, "How about we give the young master a name now?"

Xiao Ran nodded hurriedly, "That would be perfect."

Xiao Ran knew that in ancient times, the "style name" was a supplementary explanation of the given name, often expressing personal aspirations or family expectations.

"Her surname is Xiao, and her given name is Ranran." Li Lizhi's eyes lit up. "How about her courtesy name, Yichen?"

"The Book of Songs says 'The horses neigh sadly,' which has a sense of openness and freedom. The Songs of Chu says 'The elegant sounds and magnificent words are outstanding in the world,' which takes the meaning of 'transcendence.'"

“As for ‘dust’…” Li Lizhi paused, “People are all trapped by ‘dust’, whether for fame or for a living. But with the arrival of the young master, he will make the Tang Dynasty ‘settle down’.”

Xiao Ran felt a little embarrassed. His biggest feeling was that Li Lizhi's erudition and the natural elegance that comes with knowledge were becoming stronger and stronger.

"Yichen, this sounds nice." Xiao Ran was very satisfied with it.

Xiao Ran suddenly remembered something, "When Najib arrives, should I hand over the prepared seed information to the Ministry of Agriculture?"

"Yes, give these to the Ministry of Agriculture. They will tally them up and send them back to the palace."

"The betrothal gifts..." Xiao Ran pointed to a cardboard box in the corner of the living room, which contained written instructions for the improved seeds and blueprints for plows. "The Ministry of Revenue will convert these things into silk, right? Should I pretend to accept the document for 'three thousand bolts of silk'?"

"Yes, it's just a formality. Grandpa said these seeds are more valuable than gold, but their value is immeasurable."

"Alas!" It was indeed priceless to the Tang Dynasty, and Xiao Ran didn't know what to say.

Li Lizhi continued, "The specific wedding date isn't set yet; we'll discuss the rest later. However, at tomorrow's engagement banquet, the Ministry of Rites will arrange a 'planting auspicious tree' ceremony, just like the young master mentioned—'planting a tree instead of sharing a meal'." "Planting auspicious trees?" Xiao Ran scratched his head. "What kind of tree is that? I've never heard of it."

“It’s a phoenix tree,” she said softly. “The phoenix perches on the phoenix tree, it’s the tree my mother chose. The people from the Ministry of Rites will bring saplings, and we’ll plant them together. That will be…”

Li Lizhi didn't say anything more, and Xiao Ran understood what she meant.

The process was very complicated, leaving Xiao Ran dumbfounded.

Too many, really too many.

I've never even heard of those procedures.

The two chatted for a long time before returning to their room to rest.

Xiao Ran glanced at the three little ones on the bed; they were sleeping soundly.

The dog lay obediently beside him. Xiao Ran came in and woke the dog, but the dog didn't make a sound.

Xiao Ran carefully lay down, afraid of disturbing the three little princesses' sleep.

I can't fall asleep even when I lie down.

Tomorrow I must go to the residence that Li Shimin gifted me and wait for the officials from the Imperial Clan Court to arrive.

Unexpectedly, the house came in handy so quickly.

I can't sleep, I just can't sleep at all, I'm a little excited.

I had never dealt with Li Shimin's family in such a formal manner before.

Tomorrow's engagement ceremony will be very formal.

It wasn't until the early hours of the morning that Xiao Ran finally drifted off to sleep.

I go to bed late and wake up at night.

The three little princesses were also a little later than usual.

The little princess woke up and saw that Xiao Ran was still asleep. She gently nudged him, "Little Nangjun~ wake up~"

Hearing the little princess's sweet, childlike voice, Xiao Ran also woke up leisurely. "Okay, get up!"

"Seventeen, are you settling in alright?"

"Brother, it's a habit, you're sleeping soundly!"

Xiao Ran nodded, "That's good!"

It's rare to see a two- or three-year-old child who doesn't cry or fuss much; times have truly changed.

The three little princesses went to the bathroom to wash up together, and several palace maids prepared breakfast.

During the meal, Princess Chengyang clearly took care of Princess Gaoyang and the little princess.

Both of them are younger sisters; Princess Chengyang is the older sister.

Xiao Ran smiled; the atmosphere was truly wonderful.

"Seventeen, have this." Princess Chengyang peeled an egg for Princess Gaoyang.

“Give it to the rhinoceros, Second Sister, I can peel it myself,” Princess Gaoyang said.

The little princess took the egg, smiled, and began to eat it.

It was just an egg, but the little princess ate it like it was a delicacy.

(End of this chapter)