Chapter 97 Chapter 97 Shen Xuan has few friends in Beijing,…
Shen Xuan had few friends in the capital, but the Xue Family Mansion invited all the famous families in the capital. His marriage to Xue Fenglin saved him a lot of trouble. At least he didn't have to write wedding invitations.
The eleventh day of May arrived in a flash, and someone from the palace came a day in advance to specially bring Shen Xuan into the palace to marry her. When it was time for his wedding, he was allowed to ride in a sedan chair out of the palace gate, which was considered a great honor.
However, even though Shen Xuan himself went to the palace, his dowry still had to leave home.
The dowry bestowed by Emperor Wu of Jin was sent to the Shen family by the Ministry of Rites three days in advance for use. Together with the gifts he prepared himself, there were dozens of boxes in total.
Shen Xuan specially hired more than 20 porters to carry the dowry to the door, which was more than a mile long.
To avoid any accidents, he asked Jinzhi and Jingui to take care of his dowry list and personal belongings, while the dowry to be sent to the Marquis' Mansion was to be kept under the supervision of Suyue and Suyun.
In addition, the Ye family also sent two maids who knew about marriage to assist, so Shen Xuan was not worried that anything would happen to his dowry when he was not at home.
After Shen Xuan entered the palace, he originally thought that he would be placed in a side hall in a corner of the palace, but unexpectedly he was sent all the way to the Queen Mother's bedroom.
Chen Xuan followed the eunuch who led the way in with a bewildered look on his face and came before the Queen Mother.
The Queen Mother smiled and pulled his hand to sit down beside her. She said, "The Huanxuan Pavilion on the east side is where your mother lived when she came to the palace. You will marry from there."
Marrying from the Empress Dowager's bedroom is considered the highest honor. Shen Xuan didn't expect that he could still get some help from the deceased wife of Duke Shen, and his mood was very complicated for a moment.
He was taken to Huanxuan Pavilion. The house was not big, but it was fully furnished and spotless, as if someone lived there often.
Chen Xuan asked the palace maid who led him the way, and learned that after the favored officials' wives outside the palace entered the palace, if they were liked by the empress dowager, they would be arranged to stay in this place. He was not the only one.
The Queen Mother's bedroom was deserted; she was old and liked the hustle and bustle of life. After Shen Xuan arrived, she summoned him over and asked him to talk to her.
Shen Xuan stayed with the Queen Mother for a whole day, trying every way to tell her interesting stories in the capital. His mouth was dry from talking, and it was more tiring than working outside.
At 4 p.m. in the evening, the Queen Mother was ready to rest, so she finally let Chen Xuan go back.
Shen Xuan returned to the house and breathed a sigh of relief. Although the Queen Mother was much better than Emperor Wu of Jin, she was still the supreme ruler and could not be offended, which made Shen Xuan speak and act cautiously.
Fortunately, he only had to stay in this place for one day. If he stayed longer, he wouldn't be able to stay there.
Shen Xuan was so tired that he fell asleep immediately, forgetting the tension of his upcoming wedding.
The next morning, before daybreak, someone from the palace knocked on the door. There was a clang of "ding-dong-dong", and a large bucket was carried into the room. Two more palace maids came to Shen Xuan's bed and said, "Brother Shen, get up quickly and bathe and change clothes. You will need to wash and dress up later, so be careful not to miss the auspicious time."
Chen Xuan hasn't gotten up so early in a long time since he left Yunshui Village.
But marriage was a big deal and it required an auspicious date, so it really couldn't be delayed. Shen Xuan could only force himself to get up despite his sleepiness.
To marry from the palace, one has to ride in a sedan chair and pass through 9981 small gates, which is actually more troublesome than marrying from home. Shen Xuan quickly washed and dressed, and put on the red undergarment that the palace maids had placed on the screen.
This undergarment was also a gift from the emperor. It was made of the finest tribute gauze. It was brightly colored, soft and breathable, making Shen Xuan's skin look even whiter.
After putting it on, Shen Xuan looked at himself in the full-length bronze mirror in the room. This undergarment was indeed worthy of being made by the emperor. The collar was embroidered with dark red vines, and the silk thread revealed a hazy luster. It was much more exquisite than what ordinary people usually wore.
The palace maids took away the bathtub and dried Shen Xuan's hair repeatedly. When her hair was half dry, she applied osmanthus-scented hair oil, tied her hair up high in a simple bun commonly worn by boys, and inserted a pure gold hairpin inlaid with a ruby.
The wedding dress that Shen Xuan wore was also a gift from the emperor. The Ministry of Rites received the order from Emperor Wu of Jin to prepare for this matter, so they did not dare to slack off.
Shen Xuan was not a member of the royal family, so he could not have phoenixes or sacred animals or birds embroidered on his wedding gown. The Ministry of Rites embroidered daylilies instead, which suited the "Xuan" in his name.
Shen Xuan is a boy, and although the fabric of his wedding dress is very gorgeous, the style is not very complicated.
However, when she put on this wedding dress and paired it with a gold and ruby belt, which matched the hairpin on her head, she looked solemn and elegant.
After the palace maids put a pair of gold and ruby bracelets on Shen Xuan's wrists, they took him to sit in front of the dressing table. An aunt in her early thirties came over with very delicate makeup on her face.
She was a female official of high rank in the palace, responsible for the makeup and hairdressing of the concubines. In the past, she served the Queen Mother. Today, Shen Xuan was getting married, so the Queen Mother specially pointed her over.
"Aunt, please don't put on too heavy makeup. I'm not used to it." Shen Xuan was a little afraid that the female official would dress her up too exaggeratedly, so he said quickly.
In Dajin, there are many young men who dress the same as women. After putting on makeup, they look like beautiful women. If they don't speak, it is difficult to tell whether they are men or women.
The female official heard this and saw that Shen Xuan looked quite heroic. She knew that he did not like to dress like a woman, so she nodded and said, "Don't worry, Brother Shen, you have a natural temperament and handsome facial features. A little makeup is more suitable than heavy makeup."
After saying that, she applied a thin layer of powder on Shen Xuan's face, trimmed his eyebrows, and slightly lengthened his inner eyeliner.
After dressing up like this, Shen Xuan's face looked much more delicate, especially his eyes, which had a kind of breathtaking beauty.
"This lip balm is light in color, just use a little," said the female official.
Shen Xuan saw her take out a box of bean paste-colored lip balm and lightly apply it on Shen Xuan's lips. Shen Xuan's lips have a more rosy luster, which makes her look very healthy, but not too bright, which makes them look particularly suitable.
Shen Xuan had visited a rouge and powder shop near Zijin Street. Most of the lip balms sold there were bright colors such as bright red and water red. This kind of bean paste-colored lip balm was the first time he had seen it. It was obviously mixed by this female official herself in the palace.
"Aunt, the color of your lip balm is fresh and beautiful. I have never seen it before." When Shen Xuan saw the lip balm, his mind suddenly became active. He thought of his Xuanzifang and wondered if there was a market for lip balm of this color.
The female official smiled and said, "The Queen Mother is old and doesn't like overly gaudy makeup, so I specially prepared a lot of light and elegant lipstick for her, which happens to be suitable for you to use."
It turns out that this is the Queen Mother’s favorite color? Shen Xuan thought to himself.
To be honest, most of the things in the rouge and powder shop are sold to young people. Shen Xuan has rarely seen older women or boys using rouge and lip balm.
Now that I think about it, maybe it’s not that they don’t like to use it anymore, but that the color is no longer suitable for these elderly people. If there are colors suitable for the elderly, they might sell well, which would be a good business opportunity.
After Chen Xuan finished dressing, it was already the hour of Mao. A sedan chair was ready outside the bedroom door, and the wedding procession had arrived.
Chen Xuan walked out of the bedroom and sat on the sedan chair. A palace maid put a veil on Chen Xuan's head, then lowered the curtain and said to the sedan bearer: "Okay, you guys hurry up and set off. Be careful of your pace and make sure to send Chen to the Marquis' Mansion before the auspicious time."
Upon receiving the order, the sedan bearers lifted the sedan and left through the palace gate. Before leaving the palace, they had to pass through all eighty-one small doors in the palace. This period of time is not short, at least one and a half hours.
Shen Xuan didn't even have breakfast as he was jolted all the way in the sedan chair. After the sedan chair left the palace gate, he felt as if all the bones in his body were being shaken apart and his stomach was filled with nausea.
I couldn't help but sigh that it was really not easy for the girls and boys of the Jin Dynasty. Even the wedding day was so troublesome.
I heard that some brides and grooms couldn't eat breakfast, and when they arrived at their in-laws' house, no one greeted them, and some even fainted from hunger.
After Shen Xuan heard about this, he asked Jin Gui and Jin Zhi to prepare a lot of snacks in the dowry he carried with him.
But now he is still on the road. If he doesn't go to Xue's house, he won't be able to meet Jin Zhi Jingui. Naturally, he can't have snacks, so he can only go hungry for the time being.
The marriage process in Beijing is that the man's family brings the betrothal gifts first, and after the gifts are counted by the in-laws, the newlyweds will take the dowry back.
When the sedan arrived at a place, it suddenly stopped. Chen Xuan was a little surprised, and then he saw the curtain of the sedan chair opened. The maid who led the way outside poked her head in and said, "Brother Chen, there are too many gifts from the Xue Mansion. They have been sent since the morning hour and it has been more than half an hour and they are still not finished."
"The process has not been completed yet, and the new husband cannot enter the mansion. I can only ask you to wait here for a while."
Shen Xuan was speechless after hearing this, and he didn't know how many gifts Xue Fenglin had prepared! I felt half happy and half helpless.
He was very hungry and had thought of going into Xue's house early to eat something, but his hope was dashed.
But just when his hungry aunt called out, the old woman who was protecting the bride suddenly stuffed in a food box, winked at Shen Xuan and said, "This is what the prince just asked the servant beside him to deliver. He said the process might take a long time. If you are hungry, use this to fill your stomach."
Shen Xuan looked down and saw that the food box was indeed the same style he had seen in the Marquis' Mansion before. When he lifted the curtain of the sedan chair and looked out, he saw Wuxin's back in the distance.
"Brother Chen, I have been a bridegroom for so many years, but this is the first time I have seen such a considerate husband like the prince. You are so blessed!" said the old woman with envy.
Shen Xuan felt quite relieved. He opened the food box and saw that it was full of his favorite snacks. He was even afraid that he would get sick of eating only sweet ones, so he added two plates of cold dishes, one of which was braised pork slices and the other was salted edamame.
Shen Xuan showed a slight smile on his face and picked a bowl of almond milk to eat.
This almond milk is made of almonds and cheese, and contains some chopped nuts and raisins. It tastes very good.
After eating this bowl, Shen Xuan's stomach was three layers full. After thinking about it, I picked up a glutinous rice cake with fresh milk filling, ate it and stopped there. After all, I didn’t eat any strong-tasting food.
After he finishes eating, cover the food box again. The old woman poked her head in again and said to Shen Xuan, "Brother Shen, please cover your head with the veil. The betrothal gifts from the Marquis' Mansion have finally been delivered. Now we will take the sedan chair and wait at the gate of the Marquis' Mansion. After the dowry from the family is transported here, we can enter the mansion to hold the ceremony!"
The sedan chair was lifted up again, and after a brief bumpy ride, Shen Xuan arrived near the Marquis's Mansion.
The eldest son of the Marquis's mansion is getting married today, and he has invited all the noble families in the capital. He has hired a band to play music at the door, and has given candies to passers-by. Both sides of the road are filled with people.
"The new husband is here!" The maid who married Shen Xuanhu shouted loudly, and then the servants at the gate of the mansion began to set off firecrackers and scattered candies everywhere. The streets on both sides of the mansion were extremely noisy, and the people were scrambling for candies happily.
"There are red envelopes! There are also red envelopes! There are small change inside!" Shen Xuan heard the people's restless shouting outside, and then he realized that Xue Fenglin had asked people to send small red envelopes.
Each small red envelope is only as long as a thumb, but it contains a dime of silver, which is worth about a few dozen copper coins, enough to buy a good meal. It is very valuable for ordinary people!
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