Chapter 74 Xu Bing Gets Married
Chen Lun really has low emotional intelligence. No wonder he was the runner-up in the imperial examination and served as the Minister of Works for seven or eight years.
Minister An was forced to listen to a whole morning's talk about the structural principles of trains and their role in national development, and he yawned continuously.
"We can transport goods from the north to the south, and from the south to the north. If we are marching to fight, we no longer need manpower to transport supplies, and trains can transport things continuously..."
"Ha..." An Changrui yawned and wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes with his thumb.
"Alright, alright, Master Shen, I know what you said. How about this..."
Chen Lun stopped and looked at him hopefully, and An Changrui felt embarrassed to refuse any.
"I can only give you 30,000 shi of pig iron at most. You must use it sparingly!"
Chen Lun stood up in surprise, bowed and said, "Thank you, Lord An, and I won't bother you any more!" After that, he ran back.
An Changrui looked at his back and seemed to be hesitant to speak. In the end, he could only shake his head and smile. If the train was really as good as he said, it would be nice to build it.
However, it is not easy to make such a big lump of iron run. I want to see how capable Shen Lun is.
The Ministry of War was very efficient and approved the pig iron, which was delivered to the Ministry of Research and Development within a few days.
Thirty thousand shi of pig iron is not a small number. The warehouse that Chen Lun prepared in advance was too small to hold even half of it. The rest was piled up in the backyard, almost as high as a hill!
Chen Lun tucked his sleeves in, looking at the piles of pig iron, with a big smile on his face. The apprentices beside him were stunned by this. The master was really amazing! He actually got so much iron, how many trains could he make with this!
In fact, the amount of iron used in trains is not that much, as most of it is on the tracks. If you want to build a railway running from north to south, this amount of pig iron is not even enough!
But for now, we have to build the train first. We still need a blacksmith to refine pig iron into wrought iron.
Chen Lun sent people to the city to look for blacksmiths and hire workers. In the end, he recruited more than 6,000 people and started smelting iron to make trains on a grand scale.
No one has ever seen what a train looks like, and no one knows whether it can actually run after it is completed, so they have to give it a try by copying it.
At the same time, the other two departments of the Research Department gradually took shape.
Jin Yan, who was transferred from the Ministry of War, was responsible for the research and manufacture of weapons, and Du Qingzhi, who was transferred from the Imperial Medical Academy, was responsible for medical research.
*
In the blink of an eye, it was mid-February. Xu Bing's wedding was getting closer and closer, and the wedding day would be almost here after the 15th.
The prime minister's marriage was granted by the emperor himself, which was the first of its kind since the founding of the Great Qi Dynasty. Not only were the civil and military officials in the court talking about it, but even the people on the street were full of curiosity about this marriage.
When the morning court was over, officials gathered in twos and threes to discuss: "Do you know which girl Mr. Xu married?"
"I heard it was Miss Wang."
"Langya Wang family or Baoding Wang family?"
The Imperial Academy Scholar said, "Neither of them. She is the daughter of the Imperial Censor of the previous dynasty."
The other person thought for a moment and said, "Oh, I remember that girl was not young, right?"
"He is about the same age as Xu Xiang, so they are a good match."
The Minister of State, however, said with some disdain, "If you ask me, with Prime Minister Xu's status and position, he should marry a woman of noble status. The Wang family has long been in decline. After Wang Ke died, his two sons did not achieve much. Only one of them entered the government. Now he is in his thirties and has just become a sixth-rank director of the Imperial College."
"Master Sun, what you said is inappropriate. Marry a virtuous wife. Master Wang was a clean and upright man when he was alive. I think the daughter he raised will definitely be good."
Sun Ying crossed her arms and sneered: "Oh, if she is really such a good girl, how could no one want her at such an old age?"
There is a reason why some people are disliked. This Sun Zi Zheng always belittles the daughter of the Wang family, as if the old age of the woman is so unbearable.
Seeing this, the others looked at each other and went away without discussing the matter anymore.
*
Getting married in ancient times was much more complicated than it is today. For example, there were three matchmakers and six engagements. Three matchmakers refers to three matchmakers.
The Minister of Justice Zhang Qikai was counted as one, and the Taoist priest Chang Ming, who was good at fortune telling, was also counted as one. There was really no one left for the last one, so Qin Fengtu was brought in.
The six steps of engagement are: accepting the marriage proposal, asking for the name, accepting the good news, accepting the betrothal gift, asking for the date and welcoming the bride. If you follow this set of procedures, it will take at least half a year.
But both of them were in a hurry, so they kept things simple and everything was ready in three months.
Two hundred and eighty tables were booked for the banquet, and almost all the civil and military officials in the court came to celebrate his wedding.
These 280 tables may not be able to accommodate all the people. Those who are of low status or arrive late will probably have to wait for the next round to get a seat.
There were not many restaurants that could host such a grand event, so in the end, Xiangyunlou and Heshuanglou were booked to host it together.
*
Tomorrow is the wedding day, and the Xu Mansion is decorated with lights and red silk.
Zhao Xiao, Du Chong, Liu Yanzi, Bai Yizhou, Chang Ming and others came early to help him prepare things for the wedding, and they would accompany him to the Wang family to welcome the bride tomorrow morning.
Zhao Xiao hung a red lantern on the eaves of the second floor, and flew down from above. The people around him applauded and cheered.
Liu Yanzi was not willing to be outdone. She jumped onto the eaves of the other side with two lanterns in her hand. After hanging them, she raised her chin towards Zhao Xiao.
Zhao Xiao smiled and gave him a thumbs up. This kid's lightness skill was indeed amazing. Since he couldn't beat him, he might as well admit defeat.
Xu Bing was wearing a red silk gown. His forehead was covered with sweat from running around, but the smile on his face remained unchanged.
When he saw that the cleanup was almost done, he called everyone, "Stop working and come into the house to eat."
A large table of food was set up in the main hall, and more than a dozen people sat around it, eating and chatting.
Taoist Chang Ming stroked his beard and said, "Old Xu Xing, you're getting married in the blink of an eye. If you hadn't come to me to calculate the date, I wouldn't have known."
Xu Bing cupped his hands and said, "Thanks to the Emperor, he was able to introduce me to such a good match."
Chang Ming: "Come to think of it, the emperor has been on the throne for more than half a year, why hasn't he conferred titles on his concubines yet?"
"Poof!" The food in Liu Yanzi's mouth spurted out, and she quickly covered her mouth and waved her hands, saying "Sorry."
Bai Yizhou took out a handkerchief and handed it to him: "Brother Liu, wipe your mouth."
"Thank you very much."
After his interruption, Chang Ming forgot about the previous question and talked about the horoscopes he had matched for Xu Bing and Miss Wang.
"When you look at your two horoscopes separately, they are both slightly inadequate, but when you put them together, they complement each other and are an excellent destiny! Moreover, you two are destined to have many children, which is a sign of a prosperous family."
Everyone started to make noises after hearing this, Xu Bing's face turned red and he could only smile foolishly. Who would have thought that he would be able to get married properly a year later and have children of his own in the future.
Because they had to get up early to pick up the bride tomorrow, no one drank alcohol, and those who lived far away simply stayed in the mansion to rest.
After dinner, everyone went to rest, leaving only Zhao Xiao and Liu Yanzi.
Liu Yanzi saw that Zhao Xiao wanted to say something and pointed above her head.
Zhao Xiao nodded, stepped on the railing next to him for leverage, and jumped up first.
Soon Liu Yanzi also flew up and stood beside him and said, "General, do you have anything to tell me?"
"Don't call me general in private."
Liu Yanzi remained silent.
Zhao Xiao asked: "When did you know about my relationship with the emperor?"
"I guessed some of it when we were in Xuzhou." Liu Yanzi said quite frankly, but she didn't expect that the two of them still maintained a relationship after he ascended the throne.
A few days ago, Song Yuzhu summoned him to the palace to do some work. He accidentally saw a tooth mark on the back of the emperor's neck, and he had some guess in his mind.
"We are indeed together, but Yuzhu doesn't want others to know." He understood Song Yuzhu's concerns. If the emperor had no children, it might be detrimental to the country.
"I won't talk nonsense."
Zhao Xiao nodded: "Thank you for today."
Liu Yanzi smiled and said, "It's just a small matter, not worth mentioning."
"Old Xu is married, how about you? Do you have a girl you like?"
Liu Yanzi shook her head: "I'm used to being free and unfettered in my life, so I'm not suitable for starting a family."
When Liu Yanzi went to Beijing to discuss merit and reward, he originally did not plan to stay here, but Song Yuzhu talked to him and asked him if he wanted to be the leader of the secret guards to help kill treacherous officials.
Liu Yanzi was naturally willing to do so. His family members were killed by corrupt officials of the previous dynasty. His greatest wish in this life was to kill all the corrupt officials and eliminate the harm to the people, so he stayed in Shangjing.
Although he envied Xu Bing for having a family, he knew that he was walking on a dark road and might not have a good ending. In order to have no worries, it would be better for him to be alone.
*
The next morning, everyone got up before dawn.
The bridal sedan was ready. The people carrying it were soldiers Zhao Xiao had transferred from the barracks. They were strong and fast, and would definitely not let the bride be shaken.
Du Chong also specially prepared a docile chestnut horse for Xu Bing. Xu Bing's riding skills were not very good, and it was his limit for him to be able to sit steadily on the horse without falling off.
Everything was packed up, and Chang Ming saw that the time was almost up, so he shouted, "It's the auspicious time, get the sedan!"
Xu Bing climbed onto the horse nervously, and Zhao Xiao personally helped him hold the reins.
"Brother Xu, sit tight, I will take you to pick up the bride!"
Xu Bing's eyes sparkled with tears: "Ah!"
The sound of firecrackers rang out and the wedding procession headed towards the Wang family's house two streets away.
In the Wang residence, Wang Tingyue was wearing a bright red wedding gown, a phoenix crown on her head, a shawl on her body, and her fair face was stained with rouge like the sunset in the sky.
Actually, she is not stunning, but she is the type that is pleasing to the eye. She has an oval face, willow-shaped eyebrows, and a pair of slightly upturned almond eyes. She looks much younger than her actual age. When she smiles, she has two shallow dimples on her cheeks. No wonder Xu Bing is so fascinated by her.
"Miss, it's time to comb your hair." said the maid beside her.
Wang Tingyue walked to the dressing table and looked at herself in the mirror. After today, she would be given the surname Xu and become someone else's wife.
Her hair should have been combed by her mother, but Wang Tingyue's mother had passed away, so someone else had to do it instead.
The Wang family asked Zhang Qikai's wife to comb her hair. Mrs. Zhang and Wang Tingyue's mother were close friends and she almost watched her grow up.
She held Wang Tingyue's hand and said in a trembling voice: "It would be great if Yanhua could see you getting married."
Wang Tingyue couldn't help but tear up, and Madam Zhang quickly held her eyes with a handkerchief, "It's a happy day, we shouldn't cry."
"Yeah." Wang Tingyue nodded, but she couldn't control her tears from falling. After she calmed down, the maid quickly helped her put on powder.
Madam Zhang helped her put on the veil and said, "Mr. Xu is a good match, and we will get along well when we get there."
Wang Tingyue nodded. After she broke off the engagement, her mother died of illness. She observed mourning for three years, and she was twenty years old when the mourning period ended.
Some girls of her age in the capital city had already given birth to two children. The men introduced by matchmakers were either second wives or mediocre people. Wang Tingyue was unwilling to compromise, so the marriage was gradually delayed.
Later, her father also passed away. After she finished the mourning period, she was already 28 years old. This time, she didn't even have a matchmaker.
I thought that this was how my life would end, but who would have thought that I would meet such an outstanding person like Xu Xiang.
Suddenly, firecrackers were heard outside, and the maid ran in excitedly: "Miss, the uncle is here! The uncle is here to pick up the bride!"
Wang Tingyue quickly stood up and was helped to the door by Mrs. Zhang.
Soon the wedding procession arrived at the Wang family’s door, and Wang Tingyue’s two brothers blocked the gate and asked questions.
But the brothers together could not defeat their knowledgeable brother-in-law. Besides, it was such a good marriage, the two did not want to cause trouble, and smiled and let them in.
Xu Bing hurried to the gate of Wang Tingyue's yard and shouted in a sonorous voice: "My wife, come home with me!"
(End of this chapter)
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