12dz Chapter 239 The King of Chu Presents Betrothal Gifts
Chapter 239 The King of Chu Presents Betrothal Gifts
"This isn't urgent. Just do what you think is best. If I'm not there, just have Xiao Yi take you there. Don't go yourself, or you'll get your clothes dirty. Also, I'll be gone for a few days."
Gu Qingwan blinked, indicating that you can go out if you want, why do you need to report to her?
Xiao Jingchen sighed and said, "You probably won't see me for the next few days."
"Then...when will you be back?"
The young girl has learned to care about him. Sometimes he feels that Gu Qingwan is as thoughtful as someone who has experienced many hardships, but other times he feels that she is just like a child.
"It will be very soon, the betrothal ceremony will be held soon, so you won't have to wait long."
Hearing this, Gu Qingwan blushed. She had heard that the Ministry of Rites was ready to come and present the betrothal gifts at any time, but for some reason, the Prince of Chu had suppressed it.
Everyone was speculating whether the King of Chu had regretted his decision or wanted to give the bride a hard time.
But in reality, it was nothing. Xiao Jingchen had already explained to Gu Qingwan that he was waiting for someone, and that he was going to personally hunt two wild geese to give to her.
Gu Qingwan was quick-witted; she immediately understood what Xiao Jingchen had gone to do.
After Xiao Jingchen dropped Gu Qingwan off at the gate in a carriage, he didn't go inside. Instead, he had Xiao Yi drive the carriage away.
After all, the two are about to go through the betrothal process, and if people see them always together, it's inevitable that some will gossip. Even if they don't dare to gossip about the King of Chu, they will gossip about Gu Qingwan.
Gu Qingwan went back and sat on the covered walkway, casually feeding the fish in the pond.
In fact, she was sorting through the fortune teller's words, including every point and every sentence. Siqi stood quietly beside her, knowing that she should not interrupt her mistress when she was thinking.
In this life, because the fortune teller didn't reveal everything and Xiao Yuheng didn't return to the capital, he mistakenly contacted the wrong person. However, looking at Xiao Yuheng's current situation and good fortune, he couldn't help but become suspicious over time.
When that time comes, he will definitely send someone to find the fortune teller.
The fortune teller is unreliable and can't stand any hardship. He might tell her the reason for something in just a few words, and then she'll be in a really passive position.
Given Xiao Yuheng's personality, if he can't get something, he'll find a way to destroy it.
No, I need to find a way to tie him and Gu Hanjiao down completely, and I also need to find something for them to do.
Gu Qingwan patted the fish food in her hand and threw the rest to the fish in the pond. A group of beautiful koi swarmed over, making the originally calm pond lively.
"Siqi, come here. Tonight, you and Ning Er go to Qingquan Temple and see what Master Huang has been busy with lately. Also, take the pills I prepared in the pharmacy to him and say that they were made by Doctor Xue."
"Alright, Miss. Is there anything you need to tell me?"
"Have the Taoist priest find a way to elevate Gu Hanjiao's destiny to a higher level, but this time it should be more original. Have him calculate Gu Hanjiao's birth date and time and say that she is a person of great fortune who is rare in a hundred years. She can bring blessings to her family and those close to her can also share in the good fortune. If you marry her, she will be a good wife who can bring prosperity to three generations."
Siqi's lips twitched slightly after hearing this: "Miss, isn't this a bit too exaggerated? Will anyone believe it?"
Unexpectedly, Gu Qingwan became more and more obsessed with it.
"Of course, some people will have doubts, but we can just give some real examples."
"What other real examples are there? Look at the Second Miss now, she doesn't look like someone with exceptionally good luck at all."
“That’s not our concern. Your young lady has spent so much effort and money to support Huang Dao and his son. If you don’t show some appreciation, I’ll feel like my money has been wasted.”
Siqi suddenly realized.
"That's right. Who is Master Huang? Whatever he says goes. Don't worry, Miss, I know what to say."
Gu Qingwan patted Siqi's face happily: "Our Siqi is more quick-witted and perceptive. It's a good thing that Xiao Yi, that blockhead, got lucky."
"What are you saying, Miss!" Siqi blushed, stomped her foot, and ran away.
Gu Qingwan watched Siqi's departing figure and a smile appeared on her lips.
Now that her own marriage was settled, she should also think about the marriages of her maids. Once everything had calmed down, she would make sure her maids got married in style.
Time flies. After the palace banquet, everyone calmed down and didn't hold any tea parties or flower parties. Everyone settled down and rested at home.
Of course, the capital city is never short of topics.
On the first auspicious day after the palace banquet, two imperial edicts were issued from the palace. The King of Chu came in person and also invited the Grand Princess as the matchmaker, accompanied by the betrothal gifts prepared by the Ministry of Rites.
On that day, the main gate of the Ningguo Duke's Mansion was wide open, and the area in front of the gate had been washed many times, so bright that people could see their reflections in it.
Everyone in the manor, from top to bottom, was arranged perfectly by the madam. They were all dressed in matching new clothes and looked radiant. Gu Qingwan was kind and treated them very well. Everyone was happy for Miss Gu that she had found a good marriage.
The entire Ning family, young and old, waited at the gate early in the morning. When the common people outside learned that the King of Chu had come to present betrothal gifts, they all rushed to watch the excitement and offer their blessings, making the King of Chu's gate completely blocked.
Putting everything else aside, matters like bestowing a marriage upon someone could actually be handled by someone from the Ministry of Rites, but the fact that the King of Chu came in person already shows how much importance he attached to it.
Furthermore, the King of Chu even invited the Grand Princess to act as his matchmaker and witness. It should be noted that the Grand Princess was the Emperor and the King of Chu's own aunt, and she played a crucial role in the Emperor's ascension to the throne.
However, after the matter was settled, the Grand Princess did not seem to miss the capital. She either traveled around with her husband or lived in seclusion in the mountains, enjoying a very carefree life. The couple rarely returned to the capital, and sometimes they would not even come back for the New Year. If you wanted to see them, you had to rely on luck.
Madam Ning, leaning on her cane, stepped forward with the old Duke to pay their respects.
"Please get up quickly, you two. This is not right." The Grand Princess quickly reached out to help the two of them up.
"This humble woman never expected that it would be the Grand Princess who would come today. Grand Princess and Prince Consort have not seen each other for many years. How are you in health?"
"Thanks to the old lady, both my husband and I are doing well. This time, Chen'er sent someone to find me early on. As soon as my husband and I heard it was for his marriage, we rushed over to make it happen between our two families. My husband and I will also be able to drink a cup of Ning family wedding wine. And Jingxian, if she were alive, would surely be very happy."
The Grand Princess and Ning Jingxian were close friends. Ning Jingxian had a gentle personality, while the Grand Princess did not. Whenever Ning Jingxian was wronged, the Grand Princess would always stand up for her. Even after Ning Jingxian got married, the Grand Princess would still lead people to attack the Gu family to avenge Ning Jingxian.
Madam Ning understood what the Grand Princess meant and patted the Grand Princess's hand, which was supporting her arm.
"Grand Princess, we appreciate your kindness," the old Duke said in a deep voice. Even if it were for nothing else, it was worth it just for her affection for her deceased daughter.
"Alright, alright, this is such an auspicious day, the auspicious hour is almost here, let's hurry up and attend the ceremony to receive the imperial decree."
People outside started gossiping, saying they never expected the King of Chu to be so capable, directly inviting the Grand Princess who was traveling outside. Judging from the date, he must have invited her a long time ago, otherwise she wouldn't have arrived just a few days after the palace banquet.
This is actually quite reasonable, as the Prince of Chu is the Emperor's own brother, and there is currently no suitable person among the royal family to act as a matchmaker or witness for the Prince of Chu.
This is enough to show how much the King of Chu values Miss Gu.
Next, let's look at the imperial edicts. The first one is the late emperor's will to betroth Prince Xiao Jingchen of Chu to Gu Qingwan.
The late emperor's edict was already quite remarkable. Although it was a bestowal of marriage at the time, it was the current emperor who bestowed it. Now, it is the late emperor who bestowed it. One can imagine how secure Gu Qingwan's position as princess is. Unless she commits an unforgivable crime and a member of the royal family steps in to divorce her, there is basically no other possibility.
The most unbelievable thing is that the imperial edict clearly stated that the King of Chu only had one Queen Consort and was not allowed to take concubines or other wives.
The master of ceremonies began reading the second imperial edict, which was the Emperor's decree, bestowing upon the Princess of Chu the title of a first-rank princess, granting her the right to enter the palace at any time, and allowing her to enter without paying homage.
The Emperor's decree was the icing on the cake. The Princess Consort's power and title were already quite impressive, and now with such special privileges, wouldn't Gu Qingwan be able to do whatever she wanted in the Daqing Dynasty?
After the official in charge of ceremonies finished reading the imperial edict, the onlookers couldn't help but gasp. Since ancient times, what man hasn't had three wives and four concubines, let alone a prince? With this edict, wouldn't the Prince of Chu be in a terrible predicament? If the princess has no children, wouldn't the prince be left without an heir?
Hearing the discussions outside, the Ning family members naturally looked rather displeased, especially the Ning brothers, who all looked at the Prince of Chu differently, believing that the Prince of Chu was the troublemaker who had brought trouble to Gu Qingwan.
The King of Chu naturally heard the discussions outside, and he stood in front of the Ningguo Duke's mansion, facing the people.
"Thank you all for your kindness. It is my great honor to be able to propose to Miss Gu. Moreover, it is my own wish to have only one queen in this life."
“Your Highness, aren’t you being treated too unfairly?” some of the bolder commoners questioned.
Xiao Jingchen smiled, a rare occurrence, and continued to explain: "I have been fighting on the battlefield for many years. I originally thought that I might die on the battlefield forever, or that I might be fortunate enough to bring a peaceful and prosperous era to the Great Qing Dynasty and return to enjoy my old age. I never thought about getting married and having children. After all... after all, I don't know how long I can live amidst the swords and spears."
The people around fell silent, and some of the women felt heartbroken and shed tears after hearing this.
Yes, the King of Chu may seem high and mighty, but he is different from the nobles in the capital. He spends most of his time away from home, living a life of uncertainty, facing constant danger and hardship.
To put it bluntly, the prince could lose his life at any moment in any battle, and the enemy would send assassins from time to time. His life was not as good as that of ordinary people.
"Everyone need not be sad for me. In particular, you should be happy today. I have found the woman I love, and my life will only get better and better from now on."
"Yes, yes, we should wish the Prince and Princess well!"
"Wishing the Prince and Princess a long and happy marriage, and many children!"
The common people all wore sincere smiles and kept saying words of blessing. This scene made the old Duke and Duchess and the Grand Princess smile with satisfaction.
"Alright, alright, now that the imperial decree has been issued, let the Ministry of Rites begin the betrothal ceremony."
Then royal music began, creating a lively atmosphere.
The scene of the King of Chu marrying his queen was far beyond the comprehension of ordinary people. Even many years later, when the King and queen were no longer alive, those who were fortunate enough to witness it at the time would tell their descendants as a legendary story, describing how magnificent the betrothal ceremony and the wedding were. Of course, the details of the wedding will be mentioned later.
Leading the way were a pair of lively geese, robust in size and with loud voices, one male and one female.
One hundred and twenty-eight pairs of golden pigs. These golden pigs were crafted by artisans to be lifelike, with different expressions for each one. Most importantly, each golden pig weighs a full five or six ounces, and is plump and very endearing.
The fabrics included 88 bolts of Jiangnan tribute brocade, 88 bolts of Shu brocade, 88 bolts of feather gauze, 88 bolts of Shu embroidery, and 288 bolts of various colored brocade fabrics.
There are 18 pairs of six-ounce dragon and phoenix red gold bracelets, 18 pairs of gold hairpins, 18 pairs of gold-inlaid jade bracelets, and a total of 188 pairs of jade bracelets of various other materials.
Eight gold-inlaid gemstone necklaces, six luminous pearls the size of a baby's fist, six boxes of South China Sea pearls, and a complete set of eighteen face and head jewelry pieces.
Various gemstones, jade rough stones, and pearls followed behind, filling several large boxes.
There are countless other earrings, and the ready-made clothes are even more dazzling.
The betrothal gifts were 11,000 taels of gold and 9,900 taels of silver.
Six loads of betrothal cakes, six kinds of seafood, two pairs of roosters and hens, and two live pigs.
Two mud carp, two pairs of coconuts, two bottles of wine. Four pieces each of dried red dates, peanuts in their shells, dried longan, and melon seeds.
Six pieces each of rock sugar, wedding cakes, candied winter melon, and gold leaf.
There were many other fragments that could not be listed one by one, but one thing stood out: a large red coral that was as tall as a person.
"Putting everything else aside, this red coral is the rarest of all. It can be displayed as an ornament, or a piece can be taken off and made into jewelry. Look at how red it is all over, it's perfect for a bride. Most importantly, there are probably only a handful of these in the entire Daqing Dynasty."
The Grand Princess brought Old Madam Ning and Madam Ning together to see this coral.
"Your Majesty's grace is boundless, thank you for your reward." Madam Ning was also very moved. The betrothal gifts alone were so much, which clearly exceeded the etiquette for princes of the Ministry of Rites. It must be that Prince Chu had secretly added a lot.
"Yes, the Emperor's reward is a must, but this coral was personally found by the Prince of Chu. And look at those geese, Madam. How spirited they are! And how plump and beautiful they are. Chen'er hunted them himself. What's most remarkable is that this pair of geese, one male and one female, have not a single wound on them."