Chapter 227: Discussing the Wedding
Apart from Cheng Yu and the officials of the border city, who were beaming with joy, the officials from Chang’an wore looks of confusion and worry.
The officials from the Ministry of Rites, in particular, exchanged glances, all with troubled expressions. This reaction greatly angered Gu Changxiao: “What do you mean? Are you opposing my marriage?”
In Chang’an, dozens of memorials were submitted daily ‘urging marriage,’ as if an emperor who didn’t marry wasn’t fit to be an emperor.
Even though he had driven away the Hu people, saved Chang’an, and quelled the disaster of Prince Yu and the gentry, in the eyes of those old censors, he was still being lectured daily about the need for the Emperor to marry.
Now that I am getting married, you react like this? Have I not killed enough people in Chang’an? Am I not enough to deter you? Do I need to slaughter people in the border city to solidify my reputation as a tyrant?
The officials from the Ministry of Rites quickly stepped forward to beg for forgiveness: “Your Majesty, your humble servants do not oppose it. It is just that the end of the year is approaching, and with Your Majesty’s wedding, official documents need to be distributed to the four seas. This will take at least a year, and at most three years…”
Gu Changxiao waved his sleeve, interrupting their nonsense. If he really waited for three years, the Ministry of Rites would still find an excuse to embezzle who knows how much silver.
Moreover, Sui Sui’s and my wedding should be conducted according to the customs of the border city, not the stale and cumbersome rules of Chang’an.
“There’s no need for extravagance. The Empress and I are already one in heart. The wedding only needs to be announced throughout the world; they don’t need to come to the border city to attend the wedding banquet.”
“How about this, Taoist Master Ling, you can choose an auspicious day for Sui Sui and me.”
Grandpa Ling was skilled in this matter. He immediately took out copper coins for divination and asked for Gu Changxiao’s birth date and time. Disregarding the sour faces of the Ministry of Rites officials, he smiled:
“Your Majesty and Sui Sui’s horoscopes are extremely compatible. This old Taoist has chosen the best auspicious day, which is the second day of the second month next year.”
Gu Changxiao calculated. The second day of the second month was still more than three months away. Too long, too long!
He then smiled and asked, “Grandpa, is there an auspicious day closer than the second day of the second month?”
He even called him Grandpa. Grandpa Ling beamed with joy and performed another divination: “The fifteenth day of the first month, all matters are auspicious. Your Majesty’s wedding will coincide with Sui Sui viewing the lanterns of the world.”
Gu Changxiao smiled and asked Jin Sui, “Sui Sui, what do you think?”
Jin Sui nodded: “I’m fine with anything.” Since she had already decided to marry him, it was better to have the wedding sooner. Acting under the title of Empress was much more convenient than using the name Miss Ling.
“I’ve wanted to take Sui Sui to see the lanterns and admire the moon for a long time. Then it’s settled! The fifteenth day of the first month, the Lantern Festival, the Emperor and Empress will wed! Ministry of Rites, go prepare!”
The officials from the Ministry of Rites were on the verge of tears. The fifteenth day of the first month, with less than two months at most, how could a wedding be rushed like this? And it was the wedding of the Emperor and Empress!
Of course, looking at the current capital city, even the Imperial Palace was still under construction, and His Majesty was eager to relocate the capital. Our Emperor was indeed impatient.
Later, all the officials realized that Gu Changxiao was not impatient; he was just eager to marry Sui Sui.
The officials from the Ministry of Rites entered a state of constant motion. The workload after arriving at the border city was greater than their workload in Chang’an for ten years!
This was because everything in Chang’an had precedents to follow. For royal weddings, the gate to use and the ceremonies to perform were all done according to established customs.
But it was different in the border city. The Imperial Palace was brand new. Although the Empress’s Central Palace had been built, the interior decoration was not even finished. The plaster in the Jiao Fang had not dried, yet the wedding was to be held.
Some were happy that His Majesty was marrying, because according to old customs, after marrying the Empress, he would take in many concubines, filling the harem.
The next round of selection of concubines was about to begin. Regardless of whether they were daughters of powerful people, gentry, or officials, as long as they could be brought into the harem, their future prosperity for decades would be secured.
As a result, after inspecting the Imperial Palace, which was still under construction, His Majesty immediately ordered all harem construction, except for the Central Palace, to be halted, and all personnel to focus on preparing for the wedding.
Some officials were anxious: “How can this be, Your Majesty? After spring, you are supposed to select concubines!”
Gu Changxiao knew that if he said he wouldn’t select concubines, the wedding itself might not proceed smoothly, and memorials from officials would pile up on his desk. They would also frequently harass Sui Sui, making her, the Empress, a target.
So he said: “I have just ascended the throne, and the national strength is unstable. How can we afford to be extravagant with the selection of concubines? Moreover, if I take concubines right after marrying the Empress, what about the Empress’s dignity?
The selection of concubines can be discussed again in three years. First, let’s focus all our efforts on city construction. The harem is not urgent to expand.”
Having the Central Palace was enough. The remaining open space could be used for gardens, where he could stroll and enjoy the scenery with Sui Sui. If they had children later, he could build courtyards for them.
As for the three-year agreement, it was just an excuse. After three years, his imperial power would be consolidated, the national strength would be prosperous, and Chang’an would be completely peaceful, so he wouldn’t be afraid of their clamoring.
Jin Sui didn’t know what other empresses did before getting married. Did they just wait in their chambers?
In any case, she was incredibly busy, even busier than the officials from the Ministry of Rites. First, the place from which she would be married needed to be chosen. Theoretically, the Ling Residence would be fine.
But the Ling Residence was now within the Imperial Palace. Marrying from the Ling Residence to the old Prince’s Residence meant no need for a procession or a tour of the city; it was just a few steps away.
If she and Gu Changxiao were to do it, climbing a wall or taking an underground tunnel would be faster!
So, the place of departure for the bride had to be reselected. Grandpa said it should be the Taoist Temple. In the future, the Taoist Temple would be his and Jin An’s home, and Father Ling and Mother Ling’s graves were also there, making it a suitable place for Jin Sui to be married from.
Jin Sui didn’t think so: “I pretended to be a Taoist nun in the Northern Frontier. If I get married from a Taoist Temple, will unofficial history record me as a Taoist nun who renounced her vows?”
This time, Grandpa Ling fell silent, because this was very possible! Especially if the Northern Frontier also recorded it this way, it would be even more confirmed.
The Empress being a Taoist nun who renounced her vows – that reputation wasn’t very good! She had only heard of empresses who became nuns after being deposed, never of an emperor who fancied a Taoist nun.
Jin Sui laughed: “Our Emperor’s reputation is already bad enough. Adding ‘infatuated with a Taoist nun’ to it, haha, in a thousand years, he’ll definitely become a popular figure among emperors! Let’s forget it.”
Well, the unofficial history about her would also be more interesting. A woman disguised as a man falling in love with Prince Li, a Taoist nun renouncing her vows to marry the Emperor… it had the potential for a melodramatic web novel.
Grandpa Ling anxiously tugged at his beard: “Then where will the bride depart from? The Ministry of Rites officials are waiting to arrange the route! It was also Grandpa’s oversight.”
Jin Sui pointed to the academy not far away: “We’ll depart from there! That’s my strongest dowry!”
The academy was indeed Jin Sui’s most powerful dowry. Even the majestic Empress Shen, after being deposed, could only go to the Imperial Temple.
In this era, women had too few assets of their own. The dowry was given by the bride’s family, the betrothal gifts were from the groom’s family, but Jin Sui’s academy was something she earned herself.
She wanted to leave an even deeper imprint on this academy, letting everyone in the world know that this was the Empress’s departure point, an academy founded by the Empress herself.
In the future, when institutions like the Imperial College, the Grand Academy, and the Prefecture Schools were established in the capital, they couldn’t mock their academy for being low-end.
Jin Sui took Gu Changxiao on a tour of the academy: “The road is very wide, and it can accommodate the Emperor’s procession. From the academy to the Imperial Palace, it circles almost half of the border city. The common people along the way can also witness the ceremony. What do you think?”
Gu Changxiao didn’t look at the road at all, only gazing tenderly at Jin Sui and asking softly, “Sui Sui, do you feel the wedding is too rushed and you’re being wronged?”
Jin Sui chuckled: “How am I being wronged? The officials from the Ministry of Rites are running their legs off. If they knew His Majesty would say ‘the Empress is wronged,’ they’d probably hide and cry!”
Gu Changxiao also laughed: “I really want to marry you home as soon as possible. I don’t want to climb walls anymore, nor do I want to take secret passages. Seeing Han Xing and Yan Clan get married in Chang’an made me jealous; they actually got married before us!”
Jin Sui was speechless: “So many people get married every day, can you be jealous of all of them?”
Gu Changxiao laughed even louder and began instructing the Ministry of Rites officials behind him to take notes: “There should be flowers along the entire route.”
Seeing the officials gasp, Jin Sui smiled: “Don’t worry, there are plenty of flowers and plants in the greenhouses, enough to decorate the entire route.”
The officials were then relieved. If they had to transplant fresh flowers from the south or move winter plum blossoms and narcissus, that would be truly labor-intensive!
Gu Changxiao liked the road more and more as he looked at it: “Yes, when spring comes, have the Ministry of Works plant flowers and grass on both sides of this road, and two rows of ginkgo trees. In the future, when Sui Sui goes to the academy, she’ll feel refreshed all the way.”
This was essentially a green belt. In later generations, major cities competed to see how beautiful their green belts were. In this era, it was considered a special privilege granted by the Emperor.
Gu Changxiao was very satisfied with the street lamps: “Chang’an still has no street lamps. After dark, the entire city is pitch black. Heh, they still complain that the border city is desolate.”
Jin Sui nodded: “When those officials first came to the border city, they were also incredulous that all the main roads in the city had street lamps.
Especially now that the street lamps use gas, unlike before when the lamps had to be lowered to add lamp oil. Now, the gas only needs to be replaced every half a month.”
She asked Gu Changxiao to try pressing the switch: “The Imperial Palace has also been installed. We don’t have much petroleum now, so we can’t install gas pipes for civilian housing. When we discover oil fields, ordinary people will also have access to such convenient lighting.”
Gu Changxiao nodded repeatedly: “I have already ordered the Northwest Army to search for petroleum outside the pass, and I have also asked Liu Yun to search in the Northern Frontier.”
“Yes, then I can teach the Ministry of Works how to refine petroleum. We can build workshops directly at the oil fields. Petroleum has many uses! You’ll know in the future.”
Of course, creating oil vehicles was not yet possible. She could leave behind her manuscripts. As long as the Ministry of Works and the academy people dedicated themselves to research, she believed that oil vehicles could be developed within a hundred years.
All the way to the academy, Gu Changxiao noticed that there were only female students. He asked curiously, “Have you not recruited other students yet?”
Jin Sui nodded: “The academy is not yet completed. If we recruit male and female students together, it will be difficult to manage. I plan to recruit more students after the academy is fully completed. Currently, with Sister Chen in charge, only a branch academy for women has been opened.”
Chen Yunniang, along with the students, bowed and greeted them, introducing the current situation of the academy to Jin Sui and His Majesty. Upon hearing that the women’s academy branch had established specialized courses such as ‘Medical Care,’ ‘Textiles,’ ‘Culinary Arts,’ ‘Fashion,’ ‘Management,’ and ‘Accounting,’
Gu Changxiao admired: “The six arts of a gentleman. In the future, women will have their own six arts for self-reliance, in addition to playing music, chess, calligraphy, and painting.”
Jin Sui said proudly: “We also teach music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, but they still need to learn a skill to support themselves. In the future, students graduating from our Women’s Academy will not need to rely on others; they can live a life of comfort and security solely through their own hands.”
She also specifically introduced the more than 200 female students in the Medical Care department: “They haven’t graduated yet, but they’ve already been eagerly recruited by the military doctors. Your Majesty knows that our Black Feather Camp was the first to have female medical personnel, and the recovery rate of injured soldiers increased to eighty percent.
The Tuntian Camp also has female medical personnel, and the survival rate of newborns and women in childbirth has increased to ninety percent! All births handled by female medical personnel have survived.”
Even the officials following behind were stunned. Childbirth was like walking through the gates of hell. Whether one was royalty or commoner, gentry or slave, they all faced this problem.
If the female physicians trained by the Empress could achieve a ninety percent survival rate for mothers and newborns, it would be a great achievement! Population development had always been highly valued throughout history.
An official couldn’t help but suggest: “If that’s the case, why not recruit more medical students? If tens of thousands are recruited and distributed throughout the land, wouldn’t difficult births and infant mortality be eliminated?”
Jin Sui said seriously: “That is the future goal of our academy, but currently we lack both teachers and students.
Not everyone can study medical care. Ordinary people prefer their daughters to learn textiles or culinary arts, as they can earn money after just a year of study. However, it takes at least three years to become a qualified medical practitioner.
Let’s wait a bit longer. Once this batch of medical students graduates, and the world sees the respect and remuneration they receive, people will naturally send their daughters to study medicine.”
Gu Changxiao nodded: “The imperial court will strongly support the Empress’s academy. I believe the Empress’s academy will cultivate another type of talent for Great Xia and for all the people of the world.”
After speaking, Gu Changxiao quietly asked Jin Sui, “Is there enough money to build the academy? If not, I will allocate some silver from the Chang’an treasury to the academy.”
Jin Sui shook her head and smiled: “No need. Your Majesty has more places to use silver. Moreover, I have already raised the funds.”
She mentioned that a young master from the Yan Clan was willing to pay fifty thousand taels of silver for a position at the academy. Gu Changxiao also smiled:
“They got off cheap. For fifty thousand taels of silver, they can buy the opportunity to work with your Empress.”
Jin Sui cautioned: “Your Majesty should transfer the Chang’an treasury as soon as possible. Some heavy or ancient items that are inconvenient to transfer can be stored in a museum established in Chang’an.
This will also prevent ancient artifacts from being damaged during transfer. Paper is easily lost. Your Majesty could also emulate the pre-Qin era and use bronze vessels or stone carvings to preserve more historical records and artifacts, which would be very helpful for future generations studying our history.”
“What is a museum?”
Jin Sui explained the significance of a national museum. Gu Changxiao felt it was necessary to build one, not only in Chang’an but also in the border city.
After the capital relocation, there were many luxurious mansions left in Chang’an. Any institution could be repurposed to build a museum.
The officials from the Ministry of Rites saw the two of them chatting and changing the topic to other political affairs. They quickly stepped forward to remind them: “Your Majesty, we are here to discuss the wedding.”
Jin Sui and Gu Changxiao exchanged a look. It was indeed necessary to get married quickly. It was likely that after marriage, they would discuss political affairs in bed.
The officials from the Ministry of Rites began to discuss the wedding process, from departing from the academy, an eight-bearer sedan chair…
This was rejected by Jin Sui: “I’ll ride in a carriage; sitting in a sedan chair is uncomfortable.”
Alright, it was changed to four luxurious carriages. Not many imperial relatives came. Select someone from the imperial clan to receive the bride…
This was rejected by Gu Changxiao: “I will personally receive the bride.”
The officials from the Ministry of Rites became worried again: “His Majesty personally receiving the bride will delay the sacrifice.” Historically, no emperor personally went to receive the bride for their wedding.
