Chapter 114: Marriage Grant (Part 2)
When the news reached the Jian family, Mrs. Jian felt relieved. She knew rationally that this was a good marriage and that she would lose money if she refused. However, she felt emotionally that it would be bad to hurt Si Li. Now that Si Li had nodded herself, she, as her aunt, had to prepare all the proper decency for Si Li. She immediately dropped the remaining work before the New Year and handed it over to her daughter, and prepared a carriage to go to the Prince of Yue's Mansion to discuss how to prepare for this marriage.
She finally saw clearly that those in the capital who were counting on the Crown Prince's concubine mother, Consort Yuan Guifei, to control the Crown Prince's marriage were just wishful thinking. This prince, who had not been in the limelight much in recent years, had very righteous ideas in his mind. The only female relative he recognized was probably the Princess of Yue. He was not even close to his aunt Le An, who was demoted to a princess by the late emperor himself.
The previous proposal of marriage had been accepted, and the exchange of engagement letters, setting of wedding date, and preparation of gift lists were put on the agenda. Jian Bingde specially sent Songnian to the Si Mansion before the New Year to count his sister's dowry. Jian Yueniang only had Si Li as her child, so naturally the dowry had to be taken away by Si Li. There was no reason for the dowry to be swallowed up by anyone else.
The manor of the Si Mansion outside the capital was the family property purchased by Jian Yueniang in the past. It was unclear who owned it and Jian Bingde did not want to dwell on it. As long as Steward Wang and Madam Li came to help Si Li, Si Li, who was preparing to visit them with holiday gifts, would not have to go out.
Steward Wang was settled in as a steward in the new manor given to Si Li as a dowry by the Jian family. However, Madam Li was able to take up the responsibility of cooking at the house after Si Li left. This gift touched Si Li's heart.
After all the busy work, the New Year was approaching and the government had sealed the house, waiting for the next year. Even Jiang Hengyun, who used to read documents when traveling around, had some free time. He just stood by and watched Si Li teach with empty hands. Except when Si Li went to Jian's house, he followed her almost everywhere, becoming her little tail.
After the sacrifice, the apprentices of Guan Ji also had to go home. Si Li gave New Year's red envelopes to the apprentices who were half of her apprentices. After giving them a few words of encouragement, she turned around and saw Jiang Hengyun and Guan Zhiyu sitting opposite each other drinking tea. Their smiles looked so fake.
"Then I'll leave first. See you next year!" Si Li couldn't figure out what was wrong with their strange atmosphere, so she quickly said goodbye and left. After she left the door, she pulled Jiang Hengyun's sleeve and said, "Don't scare me. I don't have another pastry chef under me."
Jiang Hengyun took her hand and said, "There is no other me by your side."
"Oh, how shameless!"
The two of them got into the carriage playfully, and the curtains fell. When they could no longer see the carriage, Guan Zhiyu looked outside and smiled, then was pulled away by his brother, holding his shoulder. "Brother, come and see why my account is wrong!"
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The handwritten conclusion of the Hegeng Tie sent by Qin Tianjian before it was sealed was circulated through the Yuewang Mansion and the Jian family. The red-bottomed letter with the words "琴瑟和鳴" finally returned to Si Li's hands. The employees who had already had their holidays finished sweeping again, said goodbye to Si Li who was leaning against the door to bask in the sun, and left. Ah Quan was holding a copy of the characters he had learned a few days ago. Ink marks could be seen on the rough paper, and the handwriting was not good, but neat.
"You worked so hard even during the New Year." Si Li looked at the dark circles under his eyes and complimented him with a smile.
Ah Quan's expression suddenly changed, and he said anxiously, "As the shopkeeper, I didn't mean to leak it, but..."
Seeing his panicked explanation, Si Li stopped smiling. Being looked at by her expressionless face and being suppressed by the imposing Crown Prince with a cold face behind him, Ah Quan knelt down and said, "It's my fault. The tuition in the private school in South City is very high. I thought I could teach them a few words in the evening so that they can find work in our store later. I really didn't mean it! It didn't delay anything! If the shopkeeper doesn't allow it, I will stop now!"
"I thought it was something serious. You kneel for no reason, which really scares me." Si Li patted his shoulder and motioned him to stand up. "Will it be fine if you talk to him nicely? Learning to read is a good thing, just teach him. I remember there are some potatoes and sweet potatoes in the kitchen that are not good-looking and difficult to cut. You can take them away and make some soup. It's cold to study at night."
Although she knew that even if the common people who made a living in the capital were poor, they would not go hungry, but now that Si Li had money in her hands, she was not stingy with her kindness. If Liu Wuling and the others came to teach again at the beginning of the year, maybe they could come up with some teaching materials to share with Ah Quan and the others.
Seeing that Si Li was not angry, Ah Quan finally felt relieved and smiled brightly, "The shopkeeper is a goddess descended from heaven, a kind-hearted person unparalleled in the world!"
"Tsk, you just learned a new word and you're showing off?" Si Li spat at him. Jiang Hengyun, who was sitting in the corner copying the new edition of the textbook for her, raised his lips and whispered to her, "I think so too."
Before she had the chance to dislike him, Si Li saw two horse-drawn carriages and a sedan slowly approaching on the street. The sedan was bright yellow, indicating that the visitor was of extraordinary status.
The carriage and sedan chair stopped in front of Wanglaiju. The Jian family got off the carriage one after another. When the curtain of the sedan chair was lifted, a middle-aged man with a white face and no beard came out. He smiled when he saw Si Li, and said in a soft and sharp voice, "Miss Si, your servant Lu Xi congratulates you!"
Si Li was a little confused. She subconsciously looked back at Jiang Hengyun. Seeing that he did not even raise his head, she reached out to support Lu Xi who was about to bow. "Don't be so polite, sir. I wonder where this joy comes from?"
The first thing Mrs. Jian saw was Jiang Hengyun, who was sitting behind Si Li, huddled on a small stool. She covered her forehead with her hands, and after Jiang Hengyun stood up and gestured, she pretended not to see him.
Lu Xi, who was standing at the gate of Wanglaiju, naturally saw the quarrel inside the gate, but he just lowered his head humbly and meekly, and raised the bright yellow scroll in his hand above his head with joy. The few idle men who followed the sedan chair and the servants from various mansions who came to inquire about the news all breathed a sigh of relief.
The moment he took out the imperial edict, Si Li was stunned. Madam Jian pulled her to kneel down, but Lu Xi quickly stopped her, "Your Majesty has granted Miss Si the permission not to kneel down to receive it. You'll be fine, just listen."
"The Emperor, in compliance with the Will of Heaven, proclaims that the eldest daughter of Si Baifu, a scholar of Wenyuan Pavilion, is kind and honest, and has a good manner and manner. She is a model of the state and a model of the country. The Emperor orders you to be the Crown Princess. I do this—"
Everyone around him knelt down. Si Li felt as if she was in a dream when she heard Lu Xi's voice. What surprised her more than her was that the servants who came to inquire about the news returned home in a flash. The old people in the capital all knew that the eunuch Lu Xi had accompanied the emperor before he ascended the throne. He was very powerful and had never been seen leaving the palace to announce an imperial decree in the past. This was the only time he announced an imperial decree, but it was to save face for the Crown Princess.
The question mark on Si Li's head was almost concrete. If she remembered correctly, she and Jiang Hengyun had already set a date for their marriage proposal. Why was there another arranged marriage?
"Congratulations to Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess!" Lu Xi smiled so much that tears welled up in the corners of her eyes. She handed the imperial edict over with both hands. Si Li thanked him and looked at the excitement and joy on the faces of Madam Jian and Jian Bingde who stood up. Even if she didn't understand the rules, she knew that there was a difference between the clan proposal and the gift marriage. She quietly turned her head to look at Jiang Hengyun who was standing in the shadow of the corner to reduce his presence, and her heart softened.
He was able to get his father, who disliked him, to grant him marriage. I wonder how much effort he had put in behind the scenes for their marriage.
Jiang Hengyun met her gaze and curled his lips. He spoke silently, and Si Li read out his words. "Nothing."
Lu Xi looked at the ambiguous feelings between the girl and the Crown Prince and wiped his eyes. After so many years, the Crown Prince was finally no longer a cold and aloof person. He no longer had to worry day and night that the Crown Prince would kill his father with a sword and then commit suicide. He had a softer personality.
"Thank you for making this trip, eunuch. You can use this wedding money to have some wine." Si Li watched Jiang Hengyun distracted for a moment. Madam Jian described to her that she stuffed a purse into Lu Xi's pocket. This was considered a tradition when dealing with these people. Unexpectedly, Lu Xi pushed it out and said, "Oh, you are embarrassing me! The Empress will be happy to see that His Highness has such a happy event. I have to go back to the palace to report. Madam Jian, please take good care of the Crown Princess."
Lu Xi bowed and returned the sedan chair. The swaying sedan chair went away, attracting many people's attention. The New Year is approaching, and there are many happy events in the capital these days, but none of them spread as quickly as the news of the marriage of the Crown Princess. Before Si Li's hand could even warm up, the news had already reached many people's ears.
Ordinary people walked happily on the street, praising the crown prince and the crown princess, and cursing the concubines in the harem for pestering the emperor not to attend court. But the days without the emperor attending court were still peaceful and orderly. In the mansions, those who knew some of the inside story thought that it was not bad now. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was guarding the country, and on the surface, there was no royal family to hinder him, so he could do things easily.
"... I'm really lucky." Si Baifu accidentally smashed an inkstone when he received the news. His chest was heaving violently. It took him a long time to calm down. He called the servant and ordered, "Tell the people you sent out to stop. This is serious."
Si Li had no idea how angry her father was. The Jian family prepared a sumptuous New Year's Eve dinner, with the sound of firecrackers and laughter from the family. Even Xiao Que had won some New Year's money for himself at the card table early in the morning.
Maybe it was because the atmosphere on the table was too good, or maybe it was because it was too late after the New Year's Eve party, Si Li finally rested in the yard that the Jian family had prepared for her for a long time. Just after washing up and returning to the house, she saw a plate on the table that was empty just now, with a piece of cake on it. When she broke open the pastry, she found that it was full of meat floss. There was a note under the plate, "Happy New Year, Lili."
The meat floss cake was baked to be crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. The outermost layer of the pastry was crispy and thin, while the inner part was soft and glutinous. The soft meat floss had a texture like dense clouds. Even if Si Li made it herself, she could only make it to this extent. Si Li couldn't help laughing while eating, "Could it be that this is the only perfect one?" If Jiang Hengyun really made it himself, he wouldn't have given away only one cake unless he couldn't find a good one.
"Happy New Year." Si Li opened the window and said to the bright starry sky.
After coming to Jian's house, Jiang Hengyun climbed over the wall to date at night, which was not a good habit, and she had already rejected it sternly. She had the guards left by Jiang Hengyun by her side, so it was expected that he would hear about it soon.
In the East Palace, Jiang Rufei looked at her brother, whose smile had not faded since someone reported the news, and pressed her brows, "You can't make her happy."
"I can." Jiang Hengyun picked up three piled-up documents from the desk and threw them over, smiling gently, "She loves to travel and the world, and I will accompany her."
"You know that's what she deserves."
Before Jiang Rufei finished speaking, Jiang Hengyun had already disappeared into the warm room. She sighed, "You are deceiving yourself."
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The author has something to say:
The second half of the imperial edict on marriage is quoted from the section on marriage of Crown Princess Li Chengqian in Volume 9 of Complete Tang Poems, and is not original.
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Youchen Meat Floss Pancake, yyds.