This director is vindictive.

Chapter 263 The Three Books and Six Rites: A Thousand-Year-Old Wedding Ceremony

Inside the movie theater, the whispers that had been going on suddenly stopped, and the theater became completely silent.

Everyone's attention was focused on the big screen.

The brand logo of Huayun·Guofeng appeared on the big screen.

The first thing that catches the eye is a series of aerial shots of classical architecture.

Then, the ancient-style subtitles appeared: 【Prologue: Three Documents as Proof】

The camera pans across a sandalwood table, where scrolls of vermilion marriage certificates are slowly unfurled.

A deep voice narrated: "A marriage certificate, presented to the Heavenly Court above and declared to the Underworld below—with the three documents completed, the mountains and seas are united in marriage."

The camera then shifts to a mansion with the words "Chen Mansion" written on it!
The ancient-style gate is pushed open, and the camera follows the main entrance into the hall.

Chen Mo was wearing ancient clothes and writing in small regular script with gold powder.

The camera zooms in, revealing the large characters "Appointment Letter" to the audience, telling them what he is writing.

The letter of appointment was made of specially made gold-flecked Xuan paper, which Chen Mo wrote down word by word.

The main text of the appointment letter, from right to left in vertical format:

Adhering to the rites of Zhou to arrange a good marriage
Chen Zimo was sincere and earnest.
Now seeking to marry Jing family's daughter, Tian
A red string was tied to the Three Lives Stone long ago.
We are so far apart from each other, we have made an alliance now
The betrothal gifts are listed below:

1. A meteorite as proof (one meteorite ring)

II. Abundant Wealth and Prosperity (One Hetian Jade Seal)
III. Ten Threads of Yun Brocade (Nanjing Gold-woven Brocade Satin)
IV. One Hundred Bushels of Pearls (Flawless, perfectly round South Sea pearls)

伏愿
A marriage between Qin and Jin, a union of hearts forever
Suitable for living and family, recorded in the Mandarin Duck Register
The third day of the third month of the Xin Chou year of the Heavenly Cycle

Employer: Chen Mo (respectfully)

The saying goes, "The layman sees the spectacle, the expert sees the details." Ordinary viewers are simply amazed by the research presented at the beginning, finding it remarkably realistic.

However, those in the know can see the trick to it.

At this moment, Lin Ying became somewhat puzzled. She couldn't help but ask, "The third day of the third month of the Xin Chou year. I know the Xin Chou year should be this year, but isn't today the third day of the first month? Why does it say the third day of the third month?"

Cao Yu's eyes widened in amazement, and he exclaimed, "Awesome!"

Lin Ying looked completely bewildered.

She didn't quite understand why Cao Yu was reacting so strongly.

At this moment, Cao Yu didn't care whether it was a peacock spreading its tail feathers or not; this part really struck a chord with him.

"The third day of the third month in the Xin Chou year is indeed April 14, 2021. But what I'm really impressed about is that I didn't expect Chen Mo's documentary to be so meticulous. The third day of the third month is actually the Shangsi Festival, which is our traditional Chinese Valentine's Day. Its origins can be traced back to the custom of men and women going on spring outings to choose their partners, as recorded in the Book of Songs, Zheng Feng, Zhen Wei."

As for why not the third day of the first lunar month? Because in ancient customs, proposing marriage in the first lunar month was considered a violation of traditional marriage taboos.

Therefore, changing it to March is both in accordance with etiquette and coincides with the Shangsi Festival, which is brilliant. Ancient people were very strict about setting a date!

"Moreover, this engagement letter is also very elaborate, strictly following the structure of Qing Dynasty marriage contracts: 'parallel prose in four-six characters + gift list + prayer + signature'."

That's not all; there are actually some very interesting aspects to this.

"The Milky Way stretches far and wide," I think, not only comes from the Milky Way in "The Magpie Bridge Fairy: The Clouds Weave Cleverly," but also metaphorically refers to the interstellar romance in "My Love from the Star"!

The first item in the engagement ceremony, "a meteorite as proof," echoes Professor Do's character setting!

"Zai Ming Yuan Pu" comes from "Six Records of a Floating Life".

The "bowing" etiquette is found in Tang Dynasty marriage documents unearthed in Dunhuang.

Furthermore, the entire text contains only 189 characters, conforming to the traditional rule of "no more than two hundred characters" for betrothal letters, and every allusion can be found in the *Book of Rites* and the *Comprehensive Statutes*!

Lin Ying's mouth dropped open, mainly because she was stunned by Cao Yu's erudition.

Because she never expected that such a letter of appointment would contain so much knowledge and so many intricacies.

The key point is that Cao Yu actually spoke fluently without hesitation.

It has to be said that sometimes being serious has to be selective. This time, Cao Yu's seriousness had a completely different effect than when he watched "The Eight Hundred"! It was like night and day.

At this moment, the betrothal ceremony on the big screen ended, and the second of the three documents, the gift document, began to be displayed.

The gift list, when unfolded, was a staggering 3 meters long! It listed "ten bolts of brocade, one hundred South Sea pearls, and a pair of gilded pendants."

However, the third book, the Welcoming Book, was soon revealed, with its mutton-fat jade shaft and cloud-patterned brocade ribbon, but it was not unfolded.

"Is there some reason behind this?" Lin Ying asked, puzzled.

“This should be the ‘Welcoming Book’ among the three books. As the name suggests, the word ‘welcoming’ indicates that it will only be revealed on the wedding day,” Cao Yu said readily.

Soon, we move on to the next chapter.

The ancient-style subtitles reappeared: [Part 1: The Six Betrothal Gifts]

The first thing to appear in the scene is six vermilion lacquered betrothal gift boxes filed in, and when the maids lift the lids, golden light shines through.

Chen Mo wore a black ceremonial robe, a crimson skirt and red shoes, and held a pair of live geese. The geese had red silk tied around their necks and bamboo slips bound to their feet, on which were written the words "Two families unite in marriage, and a contract is made in one hall".

Upon arriving at the residence bearing the inscription "Jing Mansion," the singers performed three chapters of the "Magpie's Nest" song and presented wild geese to the central courtyard of the Jing Mansion.

This time, before Lin Ying could ask, Cao Yu took the initiative to explain: "The robe Chen Mo is wearing should be based on the Xuan Duan ceremonial robe for a fourth-rank official in the 'Collected Statutes of the Ming Dynasty'!"
As for why it's a pair of geese, it's because geese migrate strictly according to the natural law of "returning with unwavering loyalty regardless of the changing seasons," just like the ultimate requirement of "trust and loyalty" in marriage. Zheng Xuan's commentary on the *Book of Rites* (specifically the section on the wedding ceremony of a scholar) states: "Geese fly south when the trees are bare and north when the ice melts; the husband represents Yang, and the wife represents Yin, signifying the harmonious interaction of Yin and Yang."

Another interpretation is that the "V" formation of geese in flight is interpreted in the Book of Rites as "yang in front and yin behind, orderly and well-ordered," which aligns with Confucian family ethics.

It wasn't necessarily a wild goose. During the Zhou Dynasty, it was stipulated that the scholar-official class used geese, high-ranking officials used lambs, and nobles used deer, forming a system of status markers where "one's status was known by the gift." This was also known as "gift-giving ceremony."

Lin Ying's gaze towards Cao Yu changed; a learned and talented person can always easily attract attention.

That's exactly how Lin Ying felt about Cao Yu at that moment.

At this point, the big screen had moved on to the next segment: name consultation, which involves matching birth dates and times.

Jing's father held the birth chart on a sandalwood table, with his daughter's name and birth date written in small regular script with cinnabar.

The diviner stroked his beard and unfurled the scroll, the patterns on the tortoise shell gleaming with golden light.

"The male's birth chart shows a towering Jia wood element, with Hai water in the earthly branches providing nourishment, and Mao wood in the month pillar serving as a blade, indicating an ambition to break through the earth and soar to the clouds—"

Suddenly, he exclaimed in surprise, "How strange! The Geng metal in the hour pillar is exposed in the heavenly stem, which is actually a Seven Killings hanging corner formation!"

Then it suddenly shifted to another "natal chart".

"The female's birth chart shows Geng metal as a vessel, with the afternoon fire forging its edge, and the Ren water in the Shen palace tempering its blade; she is destined to possess the talent to carve clouds and sculpt the moon."

Suddenly, the diviner struck the table: "Excellent! The year branch Si contains Bing, which secretly combines with the heavenly Jia and earthly Geng! This is the 'Carving Wood into a Vessel' pattern!"
Just as Jia (甲) needs Geng (庚) to be refined and polished to become a pillar, and metal needs wood to be honed and tempered to reveal its brilliance—truly a match made in heaven!

Cao Yu was also a bit caught off guard, but he still explained, "Jia wood and Geng metal seem to be the best match in the ancient Chinese birth charts for couples, so this 'perfect match' probably refers to that!"

Najib's subsequent betrothal letter was made of silk with cloud and dragon patterns, and inscribed in gold ink: "In accordance with ancient rites, we hereby betroth a woman of the Jing family to the Chen family."

The gift box contained a jade double fish pendant, a silver incense burner with lotus scrolls, and twelve bundles of five-colored silk threads.

The betrothal gifts consisted of twenty-four loads.

Request for a wedding date: The third day of the third lunar month in the year of Xin Chou (1911), on the Shangsi Festival! The Imperial Astronomical Bureau approved: "Suitable for marriage, auspicious for the nuptial ceremony."

The Chen family burned incense inscribed with "Qilin Leading the Way" to welcome the auspicious time.

These were all briefly shown in a few shots, and then the scene shifted to the welcoming ceremony for Liu Bei.

As the groom, Chen Mo wore a black gauze hat and a long-sleeved turban, a bright red robe with gold-embroidered clouds and wild geese, and a white jade belt with a hook around his waist. He rode a pure black steed.

At the very front were four gongs to clear the way, followed by signs that read "Silence" and "Avoidance," and then twelve palace lanterns. Each lantern was inscribed with the character "囍" (double happiness).

A vermilion sedan chair carried by sixteen men passed over the stone bridge, with a silver bell held by a gilded phoenix on the top of the chair swaying with each step.

Jing Tian, ​​the leading lady and bride, finally makes her dazzling debut.

Wearing a phoenix crown and a wedding robe, with a fan covering her face, she sat in the bridal sedan chair.

Suddenly, the two maids who came with the dowry started scattering grains and beans on the ground outside!

"Why are we scattering beans? Is there any special meaning behind it?" Lin Ying asked curiously.

Cao Yu explained, "This should be a ritual to ward off the Three Evils!"

“I remember that in the ‘Dongjing Menghualu’, it says: ‘When the bride gets off the carriage, a hermaphrodite holds a measuring cup containing grains, beans, money, fruit, grass, etc., and scatters it at the door with incantations.’ It seems that the grains and beans used in the ceremony need to be consecrated by monks and Taoists, and the copper measuring cup needs to be painted with the Eight Trigrams in cinnabar.”

At this point, the climax of the movie was reached on the big screen.

[Part Two: The Grand Wedding Ceremony]

Chen Mo and Jing Tian stood at opposite ends of the spectrum, some distance apart.

At this moment, someone chanted: "Wash your hands and pay your respects!"

The maid took the silver tray filled with water and began to pour it, rinsing it from her right hand to her elbow.

The singing began again: "With tender hands, I offer you this gesture!"

Next is the left hand down to the wrist.

The voice rang out again: "Cleanse your hands and offer sacrifices at the ancestral temple!" Chen Mo and Jing Tian intertwined their fingers and received the water baptism.

The voice rang out again: "Ice and jade reflect each other, the sun and moon shine together!"

Then the maid folded a handkerchief into a heart shape and handed it to the two of them to wipe the water stains.

This time, no further explanation is needed; you can understand the meaning simply by listening to the chanting.

Soon we come to the next segment, the Tonglao Ceremony. In the scene, a green bamboo mat is laid out in the center of the main hall, and a low table is placed on the mat.

Chen Mo knelt on the left, and Jing Tian knelt on the right, with the two three feet apart.

The emcee shouted: "The newlyweds will share the same food and the same animal!"

Then the master of ceremonies used a dagger to cut off the pig's left ear and put it in Chen Mo's bowl; he cut off the right ear and put it in Jing Tian's bowl.

The blessing reads: "Sharing the same animal, we are now one family."

Then came the second bite: each of them scooped a spoonful of millet porridge and fed it to the other.

A blessing: "May the fragrance of millet and sorghum fill your home, and may your descendants be numerous and numerous."

Then, for the third bite, the two of them held the dagger together and ate the rabbit meat sauce.

Wishing you: "We will share joys and sorrows, and stay together until our hair turns white."

However, this was not the end. The emcee poured another glass of water for Chen Mo, who then spilled some on the ground.

The master of ceremonies announced again: "We respectfully inform our ancestors that this is the day of our marriage."

The remaining offerings were removed by the servants, and the pig bones were buried in the eastern corner of the courtyard.

This scene surprised many people; they were simply amazed and impressed.

"Wow, that's really meticulous! This wasn't just a random photo; the closing ceremony itself is also significant, symbolizing a complete ending!"

Moreover, there are strict rules. The newlyweds cannot serve themselves; the master of ceremonies must distribute the food. You can see that they do not speak at all during the meal because it is not appropriate to talk while eating; it must be done solemnly and slowly.

Furthermore, the bride and groom's bowls and chopsticks cannot touch each other, otherwise it is considered unlucky.

This ritual of sharing a meal symbolizes that the couple will henceforth share joys and sorrows, and that sharing a single animal signifies becoming one family. Cao Yu explained this when he saw Lin Ying's confusion at the end of the scene.

He was completely convinced, because it was truly meticulous.

The next step is the nuptial ceremony.

First, the maidservant split a gourd in half, then poured the prepared bitter wine into the two halves of the gourd, filling each half to about seven-tenths full.

Then Chen Mo picked up the left ladle, and Jing Tian picked up the right ladle. The two looked at each other and drank at the same time.

The master of ceremonies shouted, "May you drink from the same cup and be forever united in heart!"

After finishing the drink, Chen Mo and Jing Tian put the gourd back together and tied it tightly with red silk thread.

The emcee shouted again, "A perfect match made in heaven!"

The reassembled gourd was put away by the matchmaker and hung on the corner of the wedding bed curtains.

"A gourd is originally a single piece; splitting it open and then putting it back together symbolizes that 'husband and wife are originally one family.' Drinking bitter wine together signifies 'sharing both fortune and misfortune.' One should not frown while drinking, otherwise it symbolizes 'a life of hardship after marriage.'"

The red silk binding symbolizes a "strong and lasting marriage".

Only after this ceremony is the couple officially considered married. "Cao Yu, the commentator, takes the stage again.

Next comes the wedding ceremony, which is the most common one seen by audiences, frequently appearing in many TV dramas and movies.

However, most of the time they are not so meticulous, but Chen Mo's film is so meticulous in the beginning, so it is natural that it will not deviate from the original.

The scene shifts to the main hall, where a central table is set up.
On it were placed a pair of dragon and phoenix red candles, and an incense burner with three sticks of incense sticks inserted.

The offerings were a five-grain platter containing rice, millet, sorghum, wheat, beans, as well as red dates, peanuts, longans, lotus seeds, and so on.

The ceremony began quickly.

The emcee shouted, "The auspicious time has arrived! The newlyweds may now perform the wedding ceremony!"

The matchmaker helped the newlyweds to stand in front of the hall, and the musicians played "Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix"!
Next comes the familiar three-bow ceremony: bowing to heaven and earth, bowing to parents, and bowing to each other as husband and wife.

After the ceremony, they were escorted to the bridal chamber.

Many people were surprised to find that more than an hour had passed without them realizing it.

Moreover, even though there was no plot and it was just a series of wedding ceremonies, it didn't feel boring at all. On the contrary, the elaborate ceremony kept everyone watching attentively.

The final chapter arrived quickly.

[Part Two: Post-Wedding Ceremony]

Subtitles appeared on the screen.

Time: Early morning of the third day after the wedding
Location: Chen Clan Ancestral Hall

Chen Mo was wearing a dark robe, while Jing Tian was wearing a bright red dress.

The ancestral hall's main gate was wide open, and an elderly man, who was also playing the role of the clan leader, stood on the left.

The master of ceremonies shouted: "The bride will visit the temple to pay respects to the ancestors!"

Chen Mo first lit three incense sticks, knelt down and kowtowed, and Jing Tian followed by lighting incense and performing the Wanfu ceremony!

Then insert the incense sticks into the incense burner.

The clan chief holds the wine pot, and the newlyweds offer three rounds of wine:
The first cup is offered to our ancestors!

The second cup is offered to our ancestors!

The third cup is offered to our deceased ancestors!
Then, Chen Mo knelt on the ground and loudly recited: "Chen Mo, a descendant of the Chen family, has now married Jing Tian, ​​a woman from the Jing family, and has come to the temple to report this."

Jing Tian followed up: "The new bride, Jing Shi, is willing to be a good wife and mother, and bring glory to our family."

The clan chief unfolded the genealogy and used a red brush to add "Pei Jing Shi" under Chen Mo's name.

The couple kowtowed three times, and the master of ceremonies announced: "The temple audience is complete; the bride is now officially registered in the family register!"

Then the offerings were distributed to the relatives present!
The final subtitles appeared:

The marriage between the two families was completed with six rites.

Inheriting the spirit of the ancestral temple and upholding the virtues of heaven and earth

We've tied the knot and shared the same pillow; we'll be friends even in the afterlife.

The red thread has long been tied to the Stone of Three Lives, and our white hair will forever remember the kindness of a hundred years!
The film ends with the following message: This film is dedicated to every couple in love!
May every couple in love find their own heartbeat resonance within the millennia-old traditions of etiquette.

The End!
As the theater lights gradually brightened and the credits on the screen slowly faded, the applause from the audience continued unabated. Many people had slightly red eyes, clearly still immersed in the solemnity and romance of the traditional wedding ceremony.

Just then, a commotion suddenly broke out in the back row—it turned out that the post-credits scene had appeared!

Behind-the-scenes footage flashes across the screen: Chen Mo practicing calligraphy in gold powder until late at night to write the engagement letter; close-ups of craftsmen hand-carving gilded pendants; a diviner reciting the eloquent pronouncements on oracle bones again and again... The final shot freezes on Chen Mo and Jing Tian, ​​dressed in wedding attire, smiling at each other amidst a shower of red silk. On the right side of the screen is a line from the Book of Songs, Zheng Feng: "Having seen my lord, how could I not be happy?"

Cao Yu also came to his senses at this moment. He suddenly looked at Lin Ying beside him with some unease, appearing somewhat embarrassed.

The main thing is that he only just realized that he had fallen back into his old habits.

This time, however, Lin Ying took the initiative to link her arm with his and said, "You know so much. Let's go get something to drink later, and you can tell me more about it."

Cao Yu looked at her with sudden surprise.

As their eyes met, he felt his heart race.

Soon, the related topic soared to the top of the trending search list, making the poor reception of "Detective Chinatown 3" and the unexpected success of "Hi, Mom" ​​pale in comparison on the third day of the Lunar New Year and Valentine's Day.

No one expected that a "wedding promotional video" or "documentary" could directly trigger a trending topic.

#ChenMoJingTian'sWeddingDocumentaryAchievesGodlike Status# (Breaking News)

#The study of the Three Letters and Six Rites is so meticulous it makes your scalp tingle# (Boiling)

#The Shangsi Festival is the Chinese Valentine's Day# (Hot)

#Cinema's "Sprinkling Grains and Beans" Barrage of Question Marks# (New)

At the same time, the comments from netizens exploded.

"Holy crap, it gave me goosebumps. I originally just went to watch it out of a sense of compensation, but before I knew it, I had finished it. There wasn't a single dull moment. It's a meticulously crafted replica, and every frame is like a textbook of intangible cultural heritage!"

When Chen Mo recited "The red thread of fate was tied to our three lives on the Stone of Three Incarnations," the girl in the back row was sobbing so loudly that I had to give my popcorn to her boyfriend.

"Chen Mo's team definitely hired a folklore consultant! The 'Woguan Ceremony' uses a silver plate to pour water, which corresponds to 'offering a basin for washing hands' in the Book of Rites. Even the direction of sprinkling water follows the Zhou Dynasty's ritual of 'right first, then left.' What's even more amazing is that the pig bones in the Tonglao Ceremony are buried on the east steps—this comes from the 'Shihunli' in the Book of Rites, 'offering sacrifices to the lungs and spine, placed on the east wall'! I suggest applying for UNESCO World Heritage status!"

"I was moved to tears when I saw the 'scattering of grains and beans to ward off the three evil spirits' ritual! My great-grandmother said that this was a wedding custom in southern Anhui before the liberation, and now someone has finally filmed this ritual that has been lost for a hundred years! Chen Mo is not just making a documentary, he is reviving culture!"

"'Meteorite as Witness' × 'A Vast Galaxy' is such an interstellar romance! Professor Do gives Cheon Song-yi a star ring, and Chen Mo directly sets a meteorite into his engagement letter! The ancients wrote 'A golden wind and jade dew meet,' and modern people film 'A two-way journey between the Milky Way and Earth.' I'm totally shipping this dreamlike collaboration between traditional culture and science fiction!"

P.S.: That's it for this chapter. I was researching and writing this was giving me goosebumps!

(End of this chapter)