marriage
"My elder brother said that you would assist me in the future, so I must address you as 'Master'," Li Yunyu said sincerely, making it difficult for Tang Feng to refuse. Tang Feng and Zhou Ziliang exchanged a glance before Tang Feng reluctantly declined, "Your Highness, I am used to a life of leisure, and the palace, though vast, cannot accommodate me. Moreover, Tang Feng is a man of neither talent nor virtue. If I were to assist you in the future, you would naturally suffer. Furthermore, my wedding with Ziliang is approaching, and I have long since lost interest in officialdom. Please forgive me, Your Highness!" Seeing that Tang Feng's mind was elsewhere, Li Yunyu quickly added, "I know that you, Master, do not wish to take any risks. However, I heard that you were once my elder brother's subordinate, and he trusted you greatly. Now that my elder brother has died unjustly, can you remain indifferent? Just now, in front of the Duan Prince's residence..." "Wasn't what you said heartfelt?" Tang Feng was speechless, but not wanting to get involved in trouble so close to his engagement, he turned around and said coldly, "Your Highness, you are mistaken. I, Tang Feng, have always been free to come and go. Li Yunrui tricked me into going on a mission to the Qiang and Hu tribes, which almost cost me my life. Moreover, he has imposed many restrictions on me. Now, Your Highness is calling me a former subordinate of the Crown Prince, which is somewhat inappropriate." Zhou Ziliang looked at Tang Feng's departing figure and cupped his hands towards Li Yunyu. "Your Highness, I am straightforward, so please bear with me. However, there is one thing that is true: I have no intention of getting involved in officialdom. Please do not force me." Li Yunyu knew that it was difficult to express his sincerity once, so he did not explain further. Watching Zhou Ziliang and Tang Feng leave, he felt a little lonely.
On his way back, Tang Feng couldn't help but think about Li Yunyu's words. Zhou Ziliang remained silent, quietly accompanying Tang Feng. After walking for a while, Zhou Ziliang suddenly stopped. Tang Feng thought something was wrong, but then he saw Zhou Ziliang point to a noodle stall next to them. "Have you eaten? Want to grab a bite?" Tang Feng turned around and saw it was the same Yangchun noodle stall he and Zhou Ziliang had eaten together that evening. Tang Feng forced a smile. "Sure! I'm starving." The two sat down at the table. The owner even recognized them, bringing two bowls of Yangchun noodles and a side of scallion tofu. Tang Feng took a pair of chopsticks and mixed the noodles. Seeing that Zhou Ziliang was already eating, he pushed the bowl of noodles towards him. "Is this enough? Not enough?" "Eat my food," Zhou Ziliang said, trying to soothe Tang Feng's lack of interest. "I know you're sensitive and can't stand this, but His Highness is still a child and can't cause any trouble. As long as Prince Cheng stops interfering in your affairs in court, you'll be a free man. And don't worry, I'm here for you." Tang Feng nodded repeatedly, but Zhou Ziliang couldn't tell how much he'd actually taken to heart. He poked Tang Feng's cheek and said with a smile, "Alright, alright, stop looking so gloomy. The wedding is in a few days. Be happy! If word gets out, people will think I did something to you before the wedding!" Tang Feng burst out laughing. "That's your own fault! Who serves this to guests? Shouldn't you treat them to something better?"
Zhou Ziliang patted Tang Feng on the back to comfort him, "Why don't you come home with me? I'll have my mother make you something." Tang Feng's interest was piqued, his eyes shining. "I want to eat Auntie's pig's trotter soup!" Then he regretted it a little, feeling embarrassed to trouble Madam Zhou so late. "Is it... a bit of a hassle? I... maybe we should forget it." Although Tang Feng had been quite demanding of Zhou Ziliang, he deeply respected Zhou Wuhai and his wife. It was so late; he didn't dare trouble Madam Zhou. "If you really want it, my mother can get up in the middle of the night to make it. Come on! If you go hungry, my mother will blame me."
That night, Tang Feng stayed at Zhou Ziliang's house. The next morning, just as dawn broke, Tang Feng suddenly sat up as if he had remembered something, startling Zhou Ziliang who was sleeping next to him. Thinking that something had happened to Tang Feng, Zhou Ziliang also quickly sat up and asked, "Xiao Feng?"
"Ziliang! I made an appointment with Xiaofengzi to order wedding clothes today, I have to go back right away." Seeing Tang Feng about to get out of bed, Zhou Ziliang quickly got up as well. "I'll have someone inform Brother Mobai, you sleep a little longer, I'll go with you later." Tang Feng was unhappy to hear this. "What are you going to do with me? If you're there to order wedding clothes, there will be some surprises. Why do you have to meddle in everything! Don't worry about it, I'll go out early, you naturally have your own plans." Zhou Ziliang naturally had plans. The three letters and six rites, the ten-mile red bridal procession, the eight-bearer sedan chair, all the promises he made to Tang Feng in the years ago could not be missing.
When Tang Feng returned to the Tang residence, Zhang Mobai had already prepared a carriage. "Little brother, isn't that amazing! The wedding isn't even finalized yet, but you're already living together!" Tang Feng pinched the soft flesh on Zhang Mobai's waist. "You're quite well-informed. Don't mention it to Sister Jiu later, or she'll nag me for not knowing manners." Zhang Mobai naturally nodded in agreement. The two got into the carriage and chatted casually. "Little brother, Sister Jiu really spoils you. Do you know that Lingyue Manor is one of the top embroidery workshops in Xiling?" This was the first time Tang Feng had heard of it. Most of his clothes were custom-made by Liu Yiwan, who would take samples to the embroidery workshop. This was the first time he had personally chosen the fabric. "Never heard of it. Is the fabric good?" "Good fabric is one thing, but the embroidery is the real highlight. They brought in more than a dozen embroiderers from Lanxi. Every piece is made with heavy workmanship, and I heard that they even embroider double embroidery in prominent places." Tang Feng found this quite interesting. "Then, is this wedding dress quite expensive?"
"Expensive? Of course! Little brother, what are you afraid of? You have Ziliang, right? Let him pay for you. I'll pawn you at the embroidery shop first, and Ziliang will definitely come to redeem you later." Tang Feng shoved Zhang Mobai, his face flushed, and muttered, "Shut up! Your coachman is still here! What if he hears us?"
Lingyue Manor is the largest embroidery shop in Xiling City, employing hundreds of embroiderers. Most of the city's high-ranking officials and nobles choose Lingyue Manor for their weddings, mainly because of the dozen or so embroiderers from Lanxi. Lanxi is renowned for its embroidery, producing both double-sided and single-sided pieces with lifelike detail. Tang Feng followed Zhang Mobai into the embroidery shop. The room was filled with colorful fabrics, dazzling Tang Feng. "Sir, what would you like to see?" The shopkeeper, seeing Tang Feng and his companion, quickly approached, recognizing him as a wealthy young master based on his attire. Tang Feng looked at the fabrics on the table, then touched one, saying, "I'm getting married on the first day of next month. Would you like to choose some fabric?"
"Next month's first day! That's an auspicious day. Most families wouldn't dare choose such a day, fearing they wouldn't be able to handle the joy." Next month's first day is the first day of the Lunar New Year. This date was the result of Qin Jiujiu and Madam Zhou's discussion over three or four days. Tang Feng also thought the date had a good meaning. Hearing the shopkeeper's praise, he couldn't help but smile. "The meaning is good, but I also want a wedding dress that matches the occasion. I'm not very good at choosing, so could you please take a look today?" The shopkeeper was delighted to hear this and called over a shop assistant to bring out all the finest fabrics for him to examine. There were over a dozen kinds of red fabric in front of him. Tang Feng glanced at Zhang Mobai beside him and couldn't help but say, "You're here, aren't you going to help me choose? What are you standing there daydreaming about?" "I'm not daydreaming," Zhang Mobai pointed to the two bolts of fabric in front of him and asked, "Shopkeeper, how about these two?" The shopkeeper opened the fabric that Zhang Mobai had chosen and then said, "This gentleman has a good eye. These two bolts are newly arrived fabrics. To avoid the taboo of the royal red, the color is a bit darker, which looks more dignified. Moreover, the fabric is light and thin, so it won't feel heavy when worn. The extra fabric can be used to make a gauze hat, killing two birds with one stone!"
"Young man, what do you think?" Tang Feng looked at the two bolts of fabric, thinking there wasn't much difference... Why all the details? "Just pick whichever you like... I don't really know much about fabrics." The shopkeeper quickly replied, "You know my fabrics, every style is excellent. Whatever you like, it's the best." Tang Feng looked at the two bolts of fabric, touching and examining them repeatedly, finally pointing to the redder one and saying, "This one, please! It's more festive..." The shopkeeper handed the fabric to the young shop assistant and gestured for Tang Feng and Zhang Mobai to enter. "Gentlemen, let's go inside and choose a style." Tang Feng followed the shopkeeper into the back room, where various sample garments were displayed. Tang Feng didn't know what he liked, but he vaguely remembered that Li Bao'er's wedding dress in Daze had tassels, and Zhou Ziliang had explained it to him. It was said to be an endless longing between them and a sincere love for only one person in their lifetime. "Shopkeeper... I won't be picky about the style. Lingyue Manor has a great reputation and excellent craftsmanship, so I'm naturally at ease. Just go with what you want. I only have one request: the wedding dress must have tassels." Seeing Tang Feng take out the heavy silver coins from his pocket, the shopkeeper quickly agreed, "Of course, of course. But I don't know if you're marrying or being married off, young master!" Zhang Mobai, upon hearing this, pulled Tang Feng back and whispered in the shopkeeper's ear, "It's marriage, marrying into the Marquis's mansion. You'd better handle this order carefully and not offend any important officials in the court." The old shopkeeper nodded hurriedly, "Don't worry, we are a century-old shop, so we certainly won't let you down. Just come and pick it up before the 29th of the lunar year."
Tang Feng and Zhang Mobai paid the money at Lingyue Manor and returned to the Tang residence. Tang Feng originally intended to visit Li Lin'an, but Zhang Mobai said it was noon and the child had probably finished feeding and was asleep, so they would go later. They decided to go to the Tang residence first to talk. When they entered the backyard, they saw everyone sitting around a stone table with packages. Among them were Yang Fei, Qin Liuliu, Zhang Mobai's father, Master Tang, and Liu Yiwan.
"Sister Jiu?" Qin Jiujiu waved to Tang Feng as soon as she saw him return. "Come, come, everyone's helping you put up your invitations. Look at the handwriting, it was all written by your godfather stroke by stroke." Tang Zhaonan felt a little embarrassed by her words, coughed twice to cover his awkwardness, and then said sternly, "Feng'er! You're getting married next month, and your sister has chosen an auspicious day for you. When you marry into the Zhou family, you must follow the rules. Don't act like you're at home, not even bothering to pay your respects every day—what kind of decorum is that!" Seeing Tang Zhaonan's awkward expression, Ming... Ming intended to tell his son to live a good life, but the words slipped out. Zhang Ruoming quickly smoothed things over, "Xiao Feng, don't listen to your father's nonsense. Your father hopes you'll be well! You and Ziliang have been together for so many years, and now you're finally a perfect match." Tang Feng chuckled, "Thank you, Uncle Zhang!" Zhang Ruoming hadn't realized that these children were already in their twenties. He thought back to when they were once spirited young men, but time waits for no one. "Uncle Zhang has nothing to say, just Xiao Feng, don't let Ziliang let you down..."
"Brother, don't be afraid, I'll naturally go with you," Qin Liuliu said, carrying a basket of invitations. Qin Jiujiu tapped Qin Liuliu's forehead. "But hurry up and stop, you're just a troublemaker." Tang Feng smiled but remained silent.
Seeing that the conversation had reached this point, Tang Zhaonan knew what Zhang Ruoming was worried about, but didn't want Tang Feng to know, so he changed the subject and interjected, "Feng'er, the Zhou family sent betrothal gifts today. Since you weren't here, I accepted them all. Why don't you go to the main hall and take a look?"
"Um..." Since his father had already put it that way, it wouldn't be appropriate for him not to go, so Tang Feng nodded and agreed. He went to the lobby but didn't look around; he just walked around for a bit and came back. Tang Feng still preferred this lively atmosphere; it felt really good to have everyone around him.
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