Chapter 300: Princess Consort Wei’s Sigh
Li Yuzhu’s wedding and Li Xuedong’s marriage were both extremely low-key.
Everyone who could have a say in this matter felt it was for the best, but they waited for Li Jinzhu to voice her opinion first before agreeing.
Mr. Gao’s family was already beyond satisfied with this marriage; the sooner it happened, the better. If they were to hold a grand ceremony, it would be a burden on the Gao family.
Ni Rushi and his mother were eager for a low-key and simple affair. If it were a grand event, they wouldn’t be able to stop the Ni clan members who were desperately trying to get close to Ni Rushi and pull him back into the Ni family. This was almost a violation of Ni Rushi and his mother’s bottom line.
One month after Li Yuzhu’s wedding, Li Xuedong married Zhi’er. A few days later, Ni Rushi and Li Yuzhu, accompanied by Mr. Shao and two disciples chosen by Li Shikuan from the Li clan, set off north for their travels.
At the end of October, on an auspicious day chosen by the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, Li Xiaonan boarded the boat sent by the Prince’s Estate to pick up the bride in Pingjiang City.
Li Jinzhu, along with Mei Jie, Zhi’er’s mother, and Li Xuedong and his wife, were on one boat. Li Shikuan and his wife, with their two daughters-in-law, along with Ai Ye and Azhuang, were on another boat. Old Master Hong, along with Hong Zhenye and his family of three, were on a third boat, following to see the bride off.
Mr. Gao also wanted to go, but he felt it wouldn’t look good for his entire family to attend. After much hesitation, he asked Zhi’er’s mother to go and experience the excitement, while he stayed home to look after the schoolroom. With so many students and ongoing construction, someone had to be there. Besides, he had already visited Jianle City when he was younger.
After Li Xiaonan married into the Prince’s Estate, Li Wenliang’s family, Hong Zhenye’s family of three, and Master Hong were all to relocate to Jianle City. In the past two months, Li Wenliang and Master Hong had bought new houses. The Li family’s house was where Li Xiaonan was married from and would be used for her visits home, so it needed to be larger. After purchasing it, they had to seek guidance from the Ministry of Rites to enlarge the main gate, move the screen wall, and so on.
As for the Hong family’s house, the two of them were too overwhelmed to deal with it and decided to address it after the major event of the wedding was over.
The two of them had been working non-stop for months, and had lost a lot of weight.
Li Xiaonan’s journey was meticulously planned, with each stop pre-arranged. The day before the auspicious wedding day, the wedding boat docked at a wharf that had been cleared of all unnecessary personnel. Li Wenliang, Master Hong, and officials and clerks from the Ministry of Rites directed the arrangement of carriages, and entered Li Wenliang’s newly purchased Li Residence.
Li Xiaonan had just changed her clothes when A Wu poked his head in, “Old Master says there’s an urgent matter. Are you ready?”
“Which Old Master? Why do they always speak in half-sentences?” Yu Ting glared at A Wu.
“Whose else could it be? Hers… ours.” A Wu almost misspoke again.
“Here?” Li Xiaonan asked Wan Jing.
“There’s a warm pavilion outside the hanging flower gate, that’s where,” Wan Jing turned and grabbed a grey squirrel-lined cloak, wrapping it around Li Xiaonan.
Although he had traveled for over a month on the boat, Li Shikuan was in high spirits. Seeing Li Xiaonan coming out to greet him, he quickly waved his hand, “Don’t come out, it’s cold outside. Jianle City is much colder than our Pingjiang City.”
An incense burner was lit in the warm pavilion.
Every room in this new residence had an incense burner and a charcoal basin lit, and every room was occupied by someone.
“There’s an important matter,” Li Shikuan got straight to the point, as it was very busy outside. “Doctor Sun from the Ministry of Personnel just asked about the bride’s escort. Originally, the Ministry of Rites had arranged for you and your great-grandmother to escort you. Doctor Sun said that Young Lord specifically asked about this and said to ask us whether you would like your Eldest Sister to escort you, or if he and your great-grandmother should escort you.”
“Let Eldest Sister escort me. Eldest Sister raised us,” Li Xiaonan replied very quickly.
Li Shikuan smiled, “I knew you’d say that. Young Lord is very thoughtful. I’ll go back and reply right away.”
Watching Li Shikuan leave, Yu Ting clicked her tongue, “Young Lord is so good to you.”
“Didn’t I tell you to go and oversee the dowry?” Wan Jing interrupted Yu Ting’s sentiment.
“Right, right!” Yu Ting quickly walked out.
……………………
Princess Consort Wei had long had many concrete expectations and arrangements for her only son’s wedding, as the person his son was originally going to marry had been decided long ago.
Who would have thought that with everything ready and the wedding about to take place, her son turned against it. Now, every aspect of this wedding, which she had long envisioned and arranged, was beyond her expectations.
The wedding courtyard had been prepared long ago, and the Shi family had already made all sorts of furniture according to the dimensions of the courtyard. Now, the Li family would probably just bring a few ancestral urns. The furniture in the courtyard was her son’s used furniture. It had never been heard of using old furniture for a wedding!
But what could be done? Even if they used money from their estate, they couldn’t have it made in such a short time.
It was truly vexing.
Not to mention all the etiquette. These Six Rites, fine, let’s just say they went through the motions.
The more Princess Consort Wei thought about it, the more vexed she became. Forget it, forget it, she couldn’t think about it anymore. At this point, what else could be done!
“The dowry is almost here,” First Great Aunt Gu informed Princess Consort Wei.
Princess Consort Wei snorted and said nothing.
Dowry? There’s still a dowry? Fine, if she said there was, then there was.
“I’ll go take a look,” Second Great Aunt Gu was very curious about what this sister-in-law’s dowry would actually look like.
Not long after, Second Great Aunt Gu came in quickly, looking very surprised. “It’s all bolts of fine cloth, tied with red silk. There’s Chen Village in Wujiang County, and some place called Big Ear Town. They say it’s all betrothal gifts. Is this a custom in Jiangnan? Every village has to give betrothal gifts?”
“Go ask Young Lord about this. Does he know?” Princess Consort Wei’s brows furrowed upon hearing that the gifts were from various villages. Was this a form of conscription?
Bili responded and hurried off to find Young Lord.
“This Fourth Mistress, she has so many tricks,” First Great Aunt Gu was also full of annoyance about this completely unconventional wedding caused by her sister-in-law.
She only had this one younger brother!
Bili returned quickly.
“Young Lord said he knows. It’s because the bride and her sister lent looms to impoverished families and taught the poor women to weave jacquard fine cloth. These families heard that Fourth Mistress was getting married and gave these as betrothal gifts.”
Princess Consort Wei’s brows relaxed slightly, and she hummed in acknowledgment.
“Is this your brother’s idea?” First Great Aunt Gu lowered her voice and said to Princess Consort Wei.
Princess Consort Wei did not answer.
“Now everyone outside is saying that your brother is cunning and so on,” First Great Aunt Gu muttered again.
“Who is accompanying the dowry?” Princess Consort Wei asked.
“It’s Wan Jing,” Bili quickly replied, as she had seen Wan Jing.
Princess Consort Wei wanted to sigh but held back. It was a joyous occasion, and she couldn’t be inauspicious.
She had already looked at the accompanying servants on the dowry list. There were three people in total, and one of them was from their own estate. How would she manage the household in the future? Who would support her?
She wouldn’t think about it anymore! She would deal with it later. What else could be done? She was almost at the door.
Alas! Princess Consort Wei couldn’t hold back her sigh and let it out.
