Starting with a choice of a wife, a princess, a female general, and a down-on-her-luck Young Miss. But in this Warring States period, beauty is worthless; you need someone strong and capable. Excus...
Sun Jian naturally had his own overall plan in mind.
However, these plans need to be completed little by little.
"My lord, you still haven't told us what was causing you to look so troubled earlier?"
Chu Qingcheng brought the topic back to the previous issue.
She cared more about Sun Jian than about herself.
She knew that her husband wouldn't show such a gloomy expression just because of such a small matter.
"Yes, my husband. Sister Qingcheng and I were asking you about your troubles, but instead of getting answers, you've turned around and started asking me..."
Reminded by Chu Qingcheng, Zhou Wan'er immediately realized what was going on and hurriedly asked.
Sun Jian helplessly shrugged and told the two women about his complete lack of knowledge about how to be the head of a wedding and how he only had three days to prepare, but also had so many books to study and read.
After hearing what Sun Jian said, the two women couldn't help but burst into laughter.
After all that, it turns out that their supposedly omnipotent husband was actually worried about such a trivial matter.
If this gets out, won't we be laughed at by the outside world?
You should know that their husbands are now revered as gods.
What's with those expressions?
Seeing Chu Qingcheng and Zhou Wan'er secretly smiling, Sun Jian felt somewhat embarrassed.
It must be admitted that Sun Jian was a poor student in his previous life.
What he hates most is reading, studying, and memorizing texts.
This time, he was to be the host of Crown Prince Li Chengqian's wedding. It was a completely new experience for him, like a new bride riding in a bridal sedan chair.
Basically, I knew nothing and had to start learning from scratch.
If it were like those boring exams in Sun Jian's previous life, he could have slept soundly and not cared at all.
But this is, after all, the wedding of the Crown Prince. Not only will all the civil and military officials of the entire Qian Dynasty gather, but all the people under heaven will also celebrate together.
With so many people watching, wouldn't he make a fool of himself if he wasn't careful?
But then again, it was only three short days.
How could Sun Jian possibly memorize such a thick book of etiquette?
Even three days wouldn't be enough to finish reading it.
Although other ministers would help him at the time, Sun Jian was just going through the motions.
But I'm afraid some people might use this to frame me...
"My dear husband, you don't need to worry too much... This matter may not be as complicated as you think."
Chu Qingcheng gently comforted her from the side.
"Oh? What do you mean?"
Sun Jian immediately became very interested in what he said.
Could it be that there's something here that I didn't understand before?
Or perhaps it was a eunuch from the Directorate of Ceremonial, somewhere not mentioned.
“Sister Wan’er is more familiar with these matters than I am, because she is also a member of the royal family. The etiquette between the Great Zhou and our Great Zhou is basically the same, with no major differences. Why don’t you let Sister Wan’er explain it to you?”
As soon as Chu Qingcheng finished speaking, Zhou Wan'er immediately followed up.
"Hehe, my husband, you don't need to worry at all, and there's no need to look at these thick books."
"Because none of these things matter!"
"Actually, the job of the person in charge of a royal wedding is very simple; it's just to host the ceremony!"
With an arrogant expression, Zhou Wan'er directly told Sun Jian the true professional scope of the so-called wedding organizer.
"This...this is probably impossible, isn't it?"
Hearing Zhou Wan'er's words, Sun Jian could hardly believe it.
If it were really that simple, it would just be a casual host saying a few words.
Why would the eunuchs of the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs give him such a thick stack of books?
These remarks are clearly inconsistent with both theory and reality.
When Sun Jian questioned her words, Zhou Wan'er argued, "Why not?"
"My husband, I am, after all, a legitimate princess of the Great Zhou Dynasty, aren't I?"
"How could I possibly be talking nonsense to you and Sister Qingcheng here?"
"You must understand that the etiquette and rites of Daqian and Dazhou are equal, but Daqian has always been strong in military affairs and weak in civil affairs. Since its founding, most of the court's rituals and rites have been copied from our Dazhou."
"Besides, I've seen plenty of royal weddings; it's always the same..."
"The person in charge of the wedding is the host, who presides over the wedding, and that's about it."
"It's just a title of honor, not something that will actually require you to run around taking care of things. Otherwise, what would all those people in the Ministry of Rites be doing?"
At this point, Zhou Wan'er pointed with her jade-like finger to the stack of booklets on Sun Jian's desk and continued, "As for the booklets you mentioned..."
"They're just letting you take a look and see for your reference."
"How could I possibly let you handle all of this from the beginning!"
After hearing Zhou Wan'er's words, Sun Jian immediately felt that they made a lot of sense.
That does seem to make sense.
To expect someone who has never been proficient in etiquette and manners to control the entire process of a crown prince's marriage is utterly absurd.
Zhou Wan'er's account is more logical.
Besides, the eunuchs from the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs had said the same thing before, only they hadn't expressed it as clearly or definitively as Zhou Wan'er.
If that's the case, then there's absolutely no need for me to carefully read such a thick stack of booklets.
At the wedding, you can simply preside over the ceremony according to the procedures set by the Ministry of Rites.
Thinking of this, Sun Jian's eyes, which had become somewhat dim, suddenly lit up with a sharp light.
"I see!"
"So it seems I don't need to make any preparations for this at all, and can just follow the plan when the time comes?"
Sun Jian asked Zhou Wan'er for confirmation again.
After all, this is the Crown Prince's wedding day, so it's necessary to ask a few more questions to avoid any awkwardness or mistakes.
"That's right!"
Seeing that Sun Jian had fully accepted her words, Zhou Wan'er raised her jade-like face even higher.
She was naturally delighted and eager to help Sun Jian.
"Phew! That's good!"
Sun Jian finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Now he has the double protection of the eunuch from the Directorate of Ceremonial and his wife, Zhou Wan'er.
It seems this matter is not as complicated as I imagined.
Being a host is great; it makes things much simpler.
"but……"
Just as Sun Jian breathed a sigh of relief and was about to think about how to treat Emperor Ganwu the next day, Zhou Wan'er changed the subject, as if there were still some things she hadn't fully said.
"But what?"
Sun Jian frowned and pressed for an answer.
Zhou Wan'er stammered for a moment, her little face suddenly turning red.
Seeing her like this, Sun Jian was even more puzzled.
Why are you suddenly blushing and getting shy?
"that is……"
The more urgently Sun Jian pressed for answers, the more Zhou Wan'er hesitated to speak.
The little girl's face was now completely red, like an apple.