Chapter 51 General's Mansion
It's no wonder that Sun Guowei is so cautious. After all, he is only a fifth-rank official. If he takes on this matter, the entire Sun Mansion will be watched by everyone in the court. It depends on whether the Sun Mansion can handle it.
After burning incense with grandpa, the two of them went down the mountain separately, wrapped peaches and returned home. As soon as they entered the mansion, they met the prime minister who had returned from court, followed by a monk.
What's the use? He's not in the mansion anyway, unless the monk stays in the Prime Minister's wife's courtyard all day long.
"Where did you go?"
"My daughter is getting married, and I want to go to the mountain to worship the Buddha."
"Yes, that's right. I've already told your stepmother about your dowry, and it will be ready today. General Weiwu stopped me today, wanting you to come to the general's mansion early to get familiar with it. I've agreed, and after the dowry is prepared today, we can set off."
Bao Taozi sneered inwardly. To marry her off quickly, he'd even disregarded his daughter's reputation. The dowry was agreed to so quickly, probably because the spirit of the original owner's mother had come up last night and made a scene, frightening the Prime Minister's wife. How could she not agree?
"Yes, father."
The Prime Minister was very pleased with her understanding. He nodded, and his tone softened rarely.
"Don't let yourself be wronged if you marry her. If you have any problems, just tell your father."
"yes."
After saying that, he walked away.
......
In the afternoon, the dowry was ready and moved to Baotaozi's yard. Looking at the fourteen neatly stacked loads in front of him, he guessed that the Prime Minister's Mansion had spent a lot of money.
The prime minister seemed to be afraid that the general would go back on his word, so as soon as the dowry was ready, he urged Bao Taozi to set off quickly.
Fourteen loads of dowry passed through the main road and arrived at the mighty general's mansion. Passersby on the road looked at the carriage carrying peaches with ridicule, envy, and pity.
At the door, the general's wife was standing there in person, feeling extremely grateful. She didn't want to lose face in front of Bao Taozi, as she was still unwilling to neglect the favor of saving her life.
Before the wedding was officially held, the servant only lit a brazier at the door, also for outsiders to see.
Bao Taozi stepped over it, as if he had just been released from prison, and stepped over the fire basin to wash away his bad luck.
Fourteen loads of dowry were brought into the mansion. The matchmaker invited by the Prime Minister's Mansion said some polite words and then quickly closed the door after finishing, blocking out any inquiries from outside.
"This must be Miss Bao, right? She is truly beautiful and graceful. This lady is delighted just by looking at her!"
Bao Taozi smiled and bowed, saying, "Madam is also graceful and elegant, with a kind expression."
The Prime Minister's wife smiled from ear to ear and quickly took Bao Taozi's hand and said, "We've prepared a meal at the mansion. Let's eat before we leave!"
"Then I will obey your command, madam."
The two of them walked towards the front hall arm in arm, smiling. In the hall, the general and Zhou Ziyi were already waiting.
As soon as he saw the two people coming in, Zhou Ziyi quickly stood up to greet them.
"Miss Bao!" Others may not know, but he himself is very clear. This second wife of the Prime Minister's Mansion not only cured his dementia, but also cured his old illness! She gave him such a magical medicine! No matter what, he must treat her well and be her loyal lackey!
That’s right, the prime minister’s eldest son has a clear understanding of his own position.
Zhou Ziyi waved the servant away, pulled out a chair himself, and invited Bao Taozi to sit down.
"Miss Bao, these foods are specially prepared for you by the chef in our mansion. Try them and see if they suit your taste!" said the general's wife with a smile.
After Bao Taozi thanked them, he started to taste them one by one.
This should be the highest standard meal that ordinary people in Canglan Country can use for banquets. It is mainly chicken and fish sashimi, and the taste is light and delicious.
After the meal, they sat down in the reception room.
"Miss Bao, why don't you stay here tonight? I'll ask my maid to clean up a room for you." The general's wife said.
"Thank you for your kindness, ma'am. I promised Grandpa that I would go back in the evening. I'm afraid he would worry if I didn't go back."
The general's wife was about to say something, but was stopped by a look from the general.
Although she didn't care about the reputation of the Prime Minister's Mansion, there were still female relatives in her grandfather's family. If she didn't get married in the future and really lived in the General's Mansion, the female relatives in the Sun Mansion would inevitably be subject to gossip.
"General, I have two things to attend to right now. One is the dowry I brought in today. I'd like to trouble you and your wife to keep it for me temporarily. The second thing is that the Emperor will definitely summon me to the palace tomorrow. When the Prime Minister gets the news, he might come to the General's Mansion to inquire about me. I'd like you and your wife to stop him and try your best to stop him."
The general raised an eyebrow and said, "Oh? They will definitely summon you to the palace? Do you know the reason?"
Bao Taozi took a sip of tea, gently put down the cup and said, "It's just a matter of rations for the soldiers on the border."
"What!?"
General Weiwu stood up suddenly. Bao Taozi was not surprised. General Weiwu loved his soldiers like his own sons. If he knew about the important matter of food and fodder, he would definitely be restless. Bao Taozi also knew that if he told General Weiwu from the beginning, things would be easier, but that would mean nothing for the Sun Mansion.
People's hearts are biased.
"General, don't get too excited. It will easily cause your blood pressure to rise and affect your health." As he said that, he took out the military compressed biscuits that he had opened earlier from his sleeve pocket and handed them over.
"This is one of them. I don't have anything else with me."
The general was cautious and looked around at the brick-like object, but he didn't see anything. He looked up at Bao Taozi in confusion.
"This thing is called compressed biscuits. One-third of it, mixed with water, can fill the soldiers' stomachs and is nutritious. General, you can try it."
Not only did the compressed cookies pack peaches, which were stockpiled before the apocalypse, but they were also available in unlimited quantities in the hotel's vending machines.
The general walked back and forth in the hall holding the compressed biscuits, and the general's wife was so excited that she clenched her handkerchief.
"Miss Bao! How much of this do you have?"
"As many as you want, as many as you want."
After hearing this, the general no longer cared about his status. He rushed towards Bao Taozi and saluted her solemnly!
"Miss Bao, I thank you on behalf of the soldiers at the border!"
The border has been short of food for two years, the treasury is empty, and the soldiers only have one meal every two days! The emperor is so worried about this that his hair has turned white!
"General, there's no need to thank me. Although I'm a woman, I know that every man has a share of responsibility for the fate of his country. This is what I should do as a citizen of Canglan Country. Without the soldiers at the border, how could I be at ease playing the piano and writing poetry at home?"
These words brought tears to the eyes of the forty-year-old general.
The two of them talked heart to heart for a long time until the servant came to report that Sun Duyun had arrived.
Bao Taozi said goodbye to everyone and was about to leave with his grandfather when Zhou Ziyan came running over and stuffed a food box into Bao Taozi's hand.
"While we were eating, I noticed that the young lady had a special liking for this dried fish, so I asked the kitchen to make some more so that she could take it home for a late-night snack!"
Bao Taozi took it, bowed to Zhou Ziyi with a smile, and walked away with his grandfather.
In the general's mansion, the general's wife angrily slapped Zhou Ziyi and said, "You boy, I don't want to marry you. Don't make me feel annoyed by your courtesy!"
Zhou Ziyi smiled and dodged, "Mother! What are you talking about? I worship Miss Bao as my life-saving Bodhisattva! How dare I have any improper thoughts!"
The general looked at the mother and son with amusement and shook his head. His son was indeed not worthy.
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