Chapter 58 Wedding Dates and Happy Events
Whether as the future Princess Qi or a person with a natural desire for control, Gu Youan is genuinely curious about Prince Qi's family background.
Since the establishment of the Prince Qi's Mansion in Songjiang City, the general ledger for the past seven or eight years has been in Gu Youan's hands. Gu Youan spent two days reading through it.
"Liu Zhong, from the outside, Prince Qi's Mansion doesn't look that wealthy."
Liu Zhong smiled and said, "Our prince has limited spending money, and there's no mistress in the mansion to help with spending. Over the years, little by little, he has naturally accumulated this huge fortune."
Gu Youan calculated that the money she earned last year was not even a fraction of the money in Prince Qi's mansion's account. If she wanted to build up her own power in the future, she would first have to find a way to make more money.
"Master, wait until Zhou Changshi has collected the accounts for Songjiang City before you go and take a look at them. Although Songjiang City is outside the Great Wall, the tax revenue it collects year-round, while not as high as that of the fertile lands of Jiangnan, is not far behind that of several provinces in Guanzhong."
"Is it the surplus after deducting the government office and the city defense troops?"
"Of course it will be deducted."
Gu Youan had previously learned from conversations between her father and Uncle Tian how much tax each prefecture in the Great Zhou Dynasty collected in a year. If it was true as Liu Zhong said, Songjiang City might not look large, but the tax surplus from a year could already support another army.
The Prince Qi's Mansion and Songjiang Prefecture were not short of money. What the court was holding on to the Prince Qi's Mansion was food, as well as status and righteousness.
Liu Zhong has an honest face, but a very clever mind. Although he has been working in Prince Qi's Mansion with his master for many years, he knows everything about the important events in Songjiang City. He can even talk about the family affairs of the five first-class officials in Songjiang City, from the city guards.
With Liu Zhong's help, Gu Youan quickly gained a general understanding of the affairs inside and outside Songjiang City. After she became the Princess of Qi, she also knew how to do things.
Three days later, Prince Qi came to propose marriage. After some formalities, Gu Youan met Prince Qi in her study. The two smiled at each other at first, and Gu Youan started by praising the candidate he recommended.
"Liu Zhong is thoughtful and smart, I like him very much."
"As long as you like it."
Today he was wearing a scarlet robe, and his face looked even more stunning against the backdrop of the gorgeous clothes. Prince Qi sat down beside her, his robe pressing down on her skirt, and he held her hand in his, but she forgot to push him away.
When she came to her senses and wanted to withdraw her hand, Prince Qi held her hand tightly and said, "Princess Qi can't just have servants from the inner chambers. I will select a team of soldiers from the Prince Qi Palace Guard to serve you exclusively."
Give him benefits again? Gu Youan didn't move. He obediently asked him to hold his hand and even moved closer to him affectionately. He raised his head and smiled and said, "A bodyguard specially for me?"
"Um."
"Do they have any rank?"
"Well, yes. I am a prince, and according to the rules, my guards and attendants all have ranks. The Qi Palace has six first-class guards, the highest rank, and they are all from the third rank. There are also several second-class guards, and the third-class guards also have ranks. There are no ranks below the third-class guards."
"Is the female guard also of this rank?"
"Female guards? We do have a few skilled women in the palace. As for their rank, we didn't have them before. But I promised you that you are the boss in Prince Qi's palace. If you want them, you can have them."
Gu Youan was satisfied, nodded with a smile, and leaned closer to him.
Prince Qi was also very satisfied. Since he had sent the betrothal gift, they were an engaged couple and should be so close to each other.
Gu Youan had been looking at the account books in Prince Qi's mansion for the past two days, and had some questions that needed his answers. The two of them kept asking each other questions, getting closer and closer, and finally Prince Qi reached out and pulled her, and she spun around and fell into his arms.
Her ears immediately turned red, but she didn't run away, just hid in his arms.
Prince Qi smiled, his fingers caressing her palm. Their breaths could be heard. He lowered his voice to coax her, "My father-in-law said October 8th is a good day. I think it's a little late. The 19th of this month is also a good day. Why don't we get married this month?"
Gu Youan had never enjoyed such top-notch male beauty before. Her cheeks were as rosy as the delicate scarlet hibiscus flowers, and her brain was almost turned into a mess.
"An An, are you okay?"
He called her An An, and his lips fell on her forehead. When Gu Youan was about to speak in a daze, her mother suddenly called her name outside.
Gu Youan jumped out of his arms like a young man caught doing something illegal. He coughed softly and said, "Mom, you called me?"
"Hey, it's getting late. Let's wash our hands and have lunch."
"I'll be right there."
Mrs. Du stood outside the door with her ears stretched out, but heard nothing. She winked at Mrs. Wei who was standing at the door of the study, and Mrs. Wei shook her head.
The door of the study was closed, and the voices inside were low, so no sound could be heard outside.
Prince Qi was still inside, and his entourage was still standing in the yard. There were many things Du Shi couldn't say, so she had to leave first.
At this time, there were two people in the room, one sitting and the other standing. Gu Youan held his hot cheeks with both hands to cool them down, his eyes seemed to be filled with tears, and he glared at him: "What are you sitting here for? Go wash your hands quickly, it's time for lunch."
Prince Qi did not stand up, but leaned lazily on the chair: "You will serve me?"
Gu Youan pooh-poohed him: "Don't order me around. It's up to you to wash or not."
Although the two of them had not been together for a long time, they knew each other's temperament very well. At this moment, their interactions seemed like flirting.
The two chatted for a while, and without asking the servants to come in to serve them, Prince Qi stood up and washed his hands, and the two walked out side by side.
The door of the study opened, and Mrs. Wei lowered her head slightly and took two steps back to make way.
Prince Qi and Gu Youan walked down the stairs and left. Xu Zhi and Liu Zhong followed behind them. Sister Wei was in no hurry to leave. She wanted to lock the door of the young lady's study before leaving.
In the past few days, the account books of Prince Qi's Mansion sent by Liu Zhong have all been in the study. Although they are not extremely important, they cannot be left unattended or lost.
Today, Prince Qi came to the house to collect the betrothal gifts, so Su Guang naturally came as well. However, he was tactful. After the matter was settled, he saw that Prince Qi had found an excuse to go to the backyard of the Gu family, so he left as well, and Gu Wen couldn't keep him.
The Gu family held a banquet at noon today, and only Prince Qi was invited. Prince Qi was not reserved at all and just regarded himself as the son-in-law of the Gu family.
There were two tables for the feast. Because the screen in the room was neither wide nor high, Ah Xuan tilted her head to look at him through the screen, and Prince Qi looked back.
A Xuan smiled at him: "Brother-in-law."
Prince Qi's mouth curled up slightly, and he was obviously in a very good mood: "Your name is A Xuan."
A Xuan nodded quickly: "Brother-in-law, can I come to your house to play in the future?"
"If you like, you can stay at Prince Qi's mansion."
"Okay, I..." Ah Xuan straightened her upper body. Before she could say anything, Mrs. Du scolded her, "Where are the rules you learned from your husband?"
A Xuan retracted her head again, lowered it, and acted obediently.
Gu Youan couldn't help laughing. He glanced at Axuan and then at King Qi. Their eyes met. Feeling the pressure from her mother's eyes, Gu Youan lowered his head obediently and acted honestly.
well!
Gu Wen saw all of this and knew that it would be impossible for him to keep his daughter for a longer period of time.
After lunch, Prince Qi went to the front yard with Gu Wen to drink tea. Prince Qi wanted to set the wedding date as soon as possible, so Gu Wen finally had to say, October 8th, that day.
"According to the rules, it's considered fast to complete these tasks from start to finish in half a year, including the betrothal, the name, the marriage proposal, the betrothal, and the date. However, considering the special circumstances of the prince's family, we have combined several items together. An An is willing, and as a father, I can't object."
Gu Wen said in a deep voice: "We are both respectable families. Marriage is a lifelong event. If one of us fails to do it well, it will be a joke to outsiders. If Prince Qi values our An An, he should consider An An more."
The betrothal was proposed three days after the proposal, and the marriage took place a few days later. Gu Wen didn't want anyone to use this matter to stab his daughter in the future. Even though Prince Qi was in a high position and had great power, as a father, he had to say what he had to say.
"It is my fault for not considering the matter carefully. Regarding the wedding, I will listen to what Master Gu has to say."
King Qi was willing to take a step back, and Gu Wen felt relieved. He smiled more and said, "King Qi, have some tea."
Prince Qi went to the Gu family in the morning to deliver the betrothal gifts and left after the dinner in the evening. Prince Qi's attitude embarrassed the Gu family, and the other families in Songjiang City also understood that they should interact more with each other while Princess Qi was still at her parents' home.
The next day, without waiting for them to come, Mrs. Du took her two daughters back to the neighboring mountain village. There was no hostess at the Gu family, and invitations from various families were sent to the Gu family. Except for the invitation from the Duan family, the invitations from other families were politely rejected by the Gu family's housekeeper.
In the Duan family's backyard, Madam Duan smiled at her daughter and said, "I told you that you were a blessed girl. Look, you just decided on your husband's family, and everyone outside was saying you were marrying down. But in just a day or two, the situation has changed."
Duan Wanniang hadn't expected this either: "The sister of the Gu family looked like an ordinary and amiable young lady, but I never expected that she would become the Princess of Qi."
"Yes, anyone with a discerning eye can see that it was Prince Qi who asked for your hand in marriage. Your future sister-in-law, what are you talking about? She's a true person who doesn't reveal his true colors."
On the day the Meng and Yuan families left, Prince Qi came to propose marriage, and the news spread throughout the city. This shows that the young lady from the Gu family had been in contact with Prince Qi before, and Lord Gu and his wife should have known about it.
But at the Double Ninth Festival banquet, both the Gu family and their daughter, Miss Gu, remained composed and didn't reveal a word. The Gu family's request for their eldest son to marry Wanniang was also extremely respectful and polite, leaving no room for fault.
Mrs. Duan was originally 70% to 80% satisfied with the Gu family, but after this incident, her satisfaction with the Gu family was now 100%.
"I'm not trying to flatter the powerful and bully the weak. Just from this incident, we can see that the Gu family has a truly good tradition. If you marry into a family like this, not to mention being close to them, even if they're far away, your father and I will be relieved."
Wan Niang smiled and nodded. She knew all of this.
Mrs. Duan's tone was hard to conceal her pride. "It's just that I don't like socializing and I don't like to show off. If I had gone out these past two days, I don't know how many people would have been rude and flattering to me, saying nice things to me and envying me."
The servants in the room all laughed immediately.
Gu Youan's wedding date was set. When he returned to the village, he heard good news from the Tian and Zhang families. Tian Dalang and Tian Erlang's marriage was settled, and Zhang Yinshan was also engaged.
Mrs. Du, Mrs. Bai, and Mrs. Liu gathered together. Mrs. Du said happily, "This year is really a good year. In such a short period of time, the marriages of our three families' children have all been arranged."
Bai smiled and said, "It was your An'an who started the good thing. We are all benefiting from your An'an's influence."
"Hey, that's it. You have two good sons in your family. Are you afraid that you won't be able to find a good wife?"
Mrs. Bai shook her head and said, "I'm not being polite. Our two families are close. The fact that Dalang and Erlang's marriage was arranged so quickly must have something to do with your family."
Mrs. Liu smiled gently and said, "It's just human nature. Even with this reason, they must still value your family and the future of Dalang and Erlang, so they agreed to the marriage."
Mrs. Du hurriedly said, "Sister Liu's words make sense."
"The relationship between our three families is clear. You help me and I help you. There's no need to bring up such trivial matters."
The three of them smiled at each other and didn't mention it anymore.
Mrs. Du asked Mrs. Liu, "Which family did your family choose from in Yinshan?"
Liu said, "She's not from Songjiang City. She must be the daughter of a herbalist in the mountains. The family's surname is Li. I've seen that young lady from the Li family. She's just like my daughter Yinshan. She's also a good kid who grew up reading the Classic of Medicinals."
"Your two families are a perfect match."
Liu nodded with a smile. Just as her husband said, their Zhang family was in the medical field. It would be better to choose someone of equal status than to marry into a wealthy family.
Liu also thought this marriage was good.
While his mother was chatting and laughing with his aunts, Gu Youan had some free time at home, so he went to take a look at the new house. The house there had been completed, and Mrs. Zhang and the maid were cleaning it carefully inside and out.
Xiaoju whispered, "Madam said that we will move in on September 24th. Then the young lady can get married in the new house."
Gu Youan walked around her yard. The orientation of the yard and the furnishings in the house were all to her liking. It was a pity that she couldn't stay there for a few days.
In the afternoon, Liu Zhong came over with a wooden box in his hand, which contained a map of Prince Qi's mansion.
"The east wing of the main courtyard was originally the prince's study. It has been renovated in the past few days. You and the prince will share the study, one on each side."
"Your Highness also said that if there's anything in the main courtyard that doesn't suit your taste, you should tell me to go back and tell the craftsmen to hurry up and make some changes."
Gu Youan unfolded the map and took a look. He found that the layout of the palace was grand and comfortable to look at.
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