Prime Minister

Chapter 243, Section 242: [Two Hearts Know]

For the people of Yangzhou, one major event after another has occurred in the past few days, leaving them overwhelmed with their thoughts.

First, the government office posted a notice that bandits were committing numerous evil deeds under the guise of the Jimintang (a charitable institution). The magistrate ordered the renowned physician Xu Zhiwei to fake his death and capture the bandits in one fell swoop at Daming Temple outside the city and Shen Garden inside the city.

The government guarantees that Jimintang will continue to exist and will provide certain support. They only need to check the accounts periodically. In addition, Xu Zhiwei will continue to treat patients at Jimintang in the future.

This was undoubtedly great news, especially for the poor people who had benefited from Jimintang. They immediately cheered and spread the news.

Another matter is that the Prefectural Magistrate is engaged to the eldest daughter of the Shen family of Guangtai Company.

The officials under the prefectural government were all in high spirits these past two days. Even Zhang Shi, who was busy with the new policies, made a special trip to congratulate Xue Huai. The local gentry were also extremely eager to present their congratulatory gifts, after all, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to please the local official without leaving any hidden dangers.

This time, Xue Huai wasn't too cold-hearted. Although he didn't accept the overly expensive gifts, he still made time to meet with many people, and the guests and hosts had a pleasant time.

The auspicious time will arrive on March 26th.

Xue Huai changed into a brand-new scarlet fifth-rank official robe with a white pheasant insignia, which looked both solemn and festive.

Xue Mingding wore a brocade robe with cloud patterns and a square scarf on his head, exuding an air of elegance.

The four prominent figures from the capital were dressed in respectable everyday clothes. The official matchmaker, Zhang, wore a velvet flower in her hair and had a friendly yet extremely capable demeanor.

The group traveled in several spacious carriages, with Jiang Sheng and Qi Qingshi escorting them with their personal guards, and Li Shun and his strong servants following closely behind, carrying neatly packaged and decorated betrothal gifts. The grand procession set off from the Xue residence located at Qionghua Temple and headed towards Shen Garden.

Springtime in Yangzhou is in full bloom, with peach blossoms and willows in full green, and Shen Garden on the banks of the Grand Canal is especially beautiful.

Inside her boudoir in the East Garden, Shen Qingluan was being helped by Yun'er and several maids to do her makeup.

Today she changed into a newly tailored brocade wide-sleeved cross-collar shirt, with a silver-red silk shawl over it, and a twelve-panel gold-embroidered phoenix and bird skirt. She applied a thin layer of pearl powder to her face, lightly brushed golden-brown tint to the corners of her eyes, and dyed her eyelashes dark. Her eyes were clear and bright like stars.

Her long black hair was styled into a high bun, with an incomparably luxurious kingfisher feather hairpin at the center, and a cloisonné enamel lotus flower inlaid with South Sea pearls on each side. Her forehead was decorated with a gold-painted lotus flower ornament.

"Miss, you are so beautiful."

Yun'er brought over the bronze mirror and sighed sincerely.

Shen Qingluan looked at her slightly unfamiliar reflection in the mirror, her gaze lingering on the kingfisher hairpin adorning her hair, and a smile involuntarily crept onto her lips.

After the Lianghuai salt case was solved, Xue Huai came to Shen Garden to meet her, and quite suddenly and naturally presented her with a hairpin.

Shen Qingluan immediately recognized it as the most prized masterpiece of the old manager of Jinluyuan. Her heart was instantly filled with joy. It turned out that Xue Huai also had feelings for her, and did not just regard her as a childhood follower.

From that day on, Shen Qingluan was filled with beautiful imaginations about the future, and all of them have come true to this day.

She took a deep breath, trying to suppress the pounding and eagerness in her heart.

Xu Zhiwei stood to the side, looking at the touching light in Shen Qingluan's eyes filled with anticipation, reached out to straighten her clothes, and smiled, "You're not allowed to cry today."

Shen Qingluan turned to look at her, took her hand in return, and said reluctantly, "Sister Zhiwei, are you going back to Jimintang?"

During this time, the two lived and ate together. Shen Qingluan gently soothed Xu Zhiwei's emotional wounds, while Xu Zhiwei tried her best to calm Shen Qingluan down. Their sisterly bond deepened day by day, and it was no longer a superficial relationship where they were testing each other.

Xu Zhiwei shook his head and said, "It will take some time. Lord Xue said that the undercover agents of Jimintang have not been dealt with yet."

Shen Qingluan said sincerely, "That's wonderful!"

Xu Zhiwei smiled faintly.

Just then, a maidservant came in with a beaming smile and said, "Miss, the Xue family has arrived. Master and Madam have come to greet you personally. Please wait a moment, Miss, and you will meet Lord Xue after the ceremony."

Shen Qingluan stood up and agreed, her smile serene and beautiful.

The maids inside the room all looked at her with excitement.

At the same time, outside the main gate of Shen Garden.

Shen Bingwen and Du Shi both changed into brand-new and appropriate clothes. In addition to them, there were four highly respected elders of the Shen family, who were specially invited by Shen Bingwen as guests.

Xue Huai and the others stepped off the carriage, exchanged greetings with each other, and headed together to the newly decorated main hall.

Upon entering the hall, Shen Bingwen first looked at Xue Mingding, who was the officiant at the wedding, and bowed again, saying, "Lord Xue, you have come from afar. I have not been able to greet you properly. Please forgive me!"

Xue Mingding smiled broadly and returned the greeting, saying, "You are too kind, Mr. Shen! I am here on the orders of your wife, the lady of the Xue family, to help our two families establish a marriage alliance. Please forgive any inconvenience caused."

"How could I dare? Please, take a seat!"

Shen Bingwen greeted him with a smile, his gaze involuntarily falling on Xue Huai. Seeing that he was wearing a well-fitting official robe, with a tall and steady figure, his satisfaction was immediately evident.

Xue Huai stepped forward and greeted them with the courtesy due to a nephew, saying, "Your nephew Xue Huai greets Uncle Shen and Aunt Shen. I am sorry to have kept you waiting." Shen Bingwen smiled and said, "Please rise quickly, my dear nephew, there's no need for such formality!"

Xue Huai's personal visit today undoubtedly gave the Shen family a great deal of face, but it was clearly inappropriate for him to put on airs as the prefectural magistrate on this occasion.

As everyone took their seats, Zhang, the official matchmaker, stood in the hall, a broad smile on her face, and began to perform her duties.

"The auspicious time has come!"

Zhang cleared her throat, her voice loud and cheerful, and said in a rhythmic tone, "The Xue family of the capital admires your virtuous and talented Miss Qingluan and has specially dispatched the master of ceremonies, Lord Xue Mingding, to present betrothal gifts on behalf of the Xue family's matriarch, Madam Cui, to respectfully request a marriage alliance that will last forever!"

As she announced her arrival, Li Shun led the Xue family servants in, presenting the prepared betrothal gifts one by one and displaying them in the center of the hall.

"A pair of live geese!"

"Ten bolts of Yun brocade, ten bolts of Shu brocade, and two sable cloaks!"

"A pair of red gold and glass hairpins, a pair of mutton fat jade bracelets, a pair of pearl earrings, a pair of ruby ​​rings, and a pair of Hetian white jade dragon and phoenix pendants!"

"Eight boxes of tribute tea, eight jars of aged Shaoxing wine, sixteen boxes of candied fruit, and sixteen boxes of Beijing pastries!"

"A set of sandalwood stationery and two scrolls of calligraphy and paintings by famous artists!"

"Two sets of silver-gilt tableware and a pair of cloisonné incense burners!"

"One hundred gold ingots and two pairs of century-old ginseng!"

The four elders of the Shen family were all drawn to the dazzling array of gifts and couldn't help but nod in approval.

Shen Bingwen and Madam Du were both pleased and somewhat overwhelmed by the generous betrothal gifts.

The Shen family was among the top merchants in Lianghuai, and their wealth far surpassed that of the Xue family. Even if mountains of gold and silver were placed in front of them, they would not lose their composure. However, the Xue family was a family of officials and scholars for generations, and their courtesies were so thoughtful and generous, which showed that the other party truly valued Shen Qingluan.

After the ceremony was over, Xue Mingding solemnly took out the marriage certificate and Xue Huai's birth chart wrapped in red silk from his sleeve and presented them to Shen Bingwen with both hands, saying, "Sir Shen, this is the marriage certificate personally drafted by my sister-in-law, and this birth chart is my nephew Xue Huai's birth date. My sister-in-law said that if the Shen family feels that the Xue family is trustworthy, they should ask your family's Qingluan's birth chart to be held by the official matchmaker, and after consulting the oracle about the auspiciousness of the matter, they can proceed with the subsequent ceremonies."

This is the second step in formally entering the Six Rites: asking the name.

The so-called "three letters and six rites" refers to the first step of betrothal, which is when the groom's family sends a marriage envoy to the bride's family to propose marriage. If the bride's family agrees, the second step is to ask for names, which involves matching the birth dates and times. If there are no problems with this step, the third step, "receiving good fortune," will begin, and the two parties will formally enter into a marriage contract.

The fourth step, known as betrothal, involves the groom sending betrothal gifts to the bride's home.

The fifth step is to choose a date, where the man selects the wedding date with the woman's consent.

The sixth step, the welcoming of the bride, is the real wedding day.

This process is indeed very complicated, especially since the Xue and Shen families are thousands of miles apart, and it would take at least a year to complete the entire ceremony.

During this process, apart from personally welcoming him at the end, Xue Huai had virtually no room to intervene. Just like now, he could only sit like a mascot, watching Xue Mingding and the Shen family negotiate.

Shen Bingwen quickly accepted the letter with both hands.

Cui's handwriting was gentle and elegant, and her words were earnest and sincere. Between the lines, she expressed her approval of Shen Qingluan and her earnest expectations for the marriage. In particular, the phrase "virtuous and intelligent, a good match" in the letter brought tears to Shen Bingwen's eyes.

He handed the letter to Madam Du beside him, then looked at Xue Mingding and said solemnly, "We are deeply grateful to Madam Xue and the Xue family for their kindness. My daughter is of humble appearance, yet she has received such high praise from the Madam. It is truly a blessing for the Shen family! My nephew Xue, at such a young age, has already risen to the fifth rank in officialdom. His talent and virtue are renowned throughout Yangzhou. He is truly a dragon among men. My wife and I are more than willing to agree to this marriage!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Madam Du gave a wink to the head maid beside her, who understood and quickly went into the back room.

A moment later, accompanied by two maids, Shen Qingluan gracefully emerged from behind the screen.

She lowered her head and walked to her parents' side. Facing Xue Mingding and Xue Huai, she gave a deep bow, her voice soft yet clear: "Qingluan greets Uncle, and... Brother Xue."

When she looked up, her eyes met Xue Huai's.

Their eyes met, a thousand words unspoken, as if all the surrounding noise had vanished in an instant, leaving only the two of them in the world.

Even Xue Huai's usually calm and composed mind was stirred by this fleeting glimpse.

He nodded slightly, a smile that only she could understand playing on his lips, as if silently saying, "Don't be afraid, I'm here."

Since learning three days ago that Xue Huai was coming to propose marriage in person, Shen Qingluan has been caught in a complex mix of emotions, both looking forward to the marriage and feeling uneasy about whether she could become Xue Huai's virtuous wife after the wedding.

Even with Xu Zhiwei's comforting words, she still couldn't completely calm her anxious emotions. But when she saw Xue Huai's serene smile, all her turmoil suddenly vanished.

His gentleness and affirmation were her most solid support in this life.

(End of this chapter)