Wu Yong was very efficient. Once something was done, he immediately got to work, bought everything he needed, and asked General Zhou Jing, who was an old acquaintance of the Wu family, to go to the Regent's Palace to propose marriage as an elder.
Gu Yanxi was very satisfied with his initiative to stay in the capital for half a year every year, and she did not make things difficult for him. After discussion, they set the wedding date on August 12.
Hua Zhi put down her pen and said, "Send it to the embroiderer."
"Yes." Nian Qiu came over and carefully blew dry the last pattern. The pattern drawn by their young lady was much more beautiful than those outside.
After finishing these things, Hua Zhi walked leisurely towards the library. As her wedding was approaching, the Hua family became noticeably busier and the servants even walked with the wind, which made her seem even more overly leisurely, as if she was not the one getting married.
"Master." Zeng Han saw her and quickly closed the book and came over to greet her.
Hua Zhi smiled, "Now you spend more time in the library than in the clan school."
Zeng Han smiled. He had changed a lot in the years he had been in the Hua family. He used to be quiet and had a stern face, but now he had some expressions and would occasionally smile in front of Hua Zhi. Now, all the masters in the Hua family, big and small, liked to make him laugh the most.
Patting his head, Hua Zhi went upstairs. She did not constrain Xiaohan. The classes in the clan school were slow, and she did not force him if he did not want to go. It is not a bad thing to read more books.
After a while, Zeng Han came up with a few books. He didn't bother his master, but sat in a corner reading his own books. The master and apprentice even had the same reading posture.
On the seventh day of April, there is a gift box.
There was a constant stream of people coming to the Hua family's door since early morning, from all the civil and military officials, no matter if they were friends with the family or not, every one of them came. They also knew that the Hua family would certainly not accept expensive gifts and would only follow the standard of adding boxes of gifts in the past. Those with closer relationships would be treated differently, but it was nothing to complain about the Zhu family giving gifts of both large and small sizes.
Hua Zhi was wearing a brand new pink dress, with her hair in a bun and light makeup on. She looked in great shape, and even though she looked a little thin, it did not detract from her beauty.
Old Madam Zhu turned away and quietly wiped her eyes, then said with a smile, "Our eldest daughter is getting married."
"The Regent's Palace is closer to your home than the Hua family's." Hua Zhi smiled. They were both in the capital, just a change of location. There were regrets, as the Hua family's library was not available everywhere. But it didn't matter. The palace had money, so she could just build one. There were still many years to come!
Thinking about this, Hua Zhi felt a little excited.
At this time, Yingchun came in quickly and reported, "The emperor is here."
Hua Zhi was not surprised. She stood up, straightened her clothes, and helped her grandmother walk out. The other women in the room followed behind.
The emperor came to the Hua family often, but never before had he made as big a commotion as this time. Looking at the loads of things carried in by the royal guards, Hua Yizhen didn't know what to do. Logically, Zhi'er was marrying into the royal family, so there was no reason for the royal family to add boxes. But the emperor was Zhi'er's disciple, and this box was added again, but... this was too much!
Hua Zhi was also surprised by the things in this courtyard. After paying her respects, she said helplessly, "Why did the emperor prepare so many?"
"I've said before that when your Majesty gets married, I'll give you a ten-mile red dowry." The emperor looked at his Majesty with a smile. Such a gentle Majesty was rare. When he came to her, she was already supporting the family. At that time, she was sharp, majestic, and resolute. Later, when she became a Majesty, she mostly wore official uniforms. To be honest, it was the first time he saw the Majesty wearing rouge.
How beautiful! The emperor thought. Such a tutor is his teacher, tutor, and cousin. An elder sister-in-law is like a mother. From now on, she will truly be a member of the family.
Things were still being carried in, and Hua Zhi no longer said no. There had been more and more rumors recently, and she knew that the emperor was using this method to tell the world that there was no rift between him and the Hua family, and that he and the Grand Tutor were still close.
But, it was really too much! The Hua family had already been preparing the dowry with great effort, and with all this, the dowry would have to be sent to the Regent’s Palace before it even leaves.
The two of them did not stay here. Hua Zhi led everyone to the flower hall, and the Hua family father and son accompanied them.
"I'm going to slack off for a few days."
"Of course, Master, just take a good rest. You can resume your duties as Master when you think it is appropriate."
Hua Zhi smiled and responded, "Now the world is at peace, I am waiting for the emperor to bring a prosperous era."
"I dare not not work hard."
"Speaking of which, I have something else I would like to ask the Emperor."
"Master, please speak."
"After some time, I want to invite the Grand Empress Dowager to stay with me for a while. Yan Xi loves her and agreed to this."
The emperor nodded and said, "Grandmother has endured her whole life in the palace. If she wants to go out for a walk, there is no reason for me to stop her."
The two men talked as if they were chatting about family matters, and there was still a hierarchy due to their status, but their attitude was extremely peaceful. It was not the first time that the Hua family father and son had seen the two men getting along, but they were still surprised every time they saw them.
The excitement of the gift of adding boxes has already foreshadowed how grand the eighth day of the Lunar New Year will be.
The weather was nice, sunny and windless.
The Hua family had wedding characters pasted all over the house. The master and servants all wore festive clothes, had smiles on their faces, and walked briskly.
The ancestral temple was still quiet. Hua Zhi knelt on the cushion. Amid the curling smoke, she kowtowed three times respectfully.
Protected by the Hua family, she enjoyed wealth and had a better background than most people in the world. If she was not a girl from the Hua family, no one would take her seriously, let alone do many things later. All of this was based on her last name, Hua.
She had thought that the Hua family would distance themselves from her. After all, this was a world ruled by men, and few people could tolerate being overshadowed by a woman. Fortunately, the Hua family was an accident. Everyone was concerned about her health and tried their best for her marriage. The elders trusted her and the peers relied on her. No one ever made a fuss about her being a woman. Whatever she lacked in her previous life, God made up for her in this life.
Standing up and walking to her grandmother's spirit tablet, Hua Zhi paid her respects alone. She also thanked this old man, with whom she had not been very close before, but who gave her the greatest trust at the last moment.
If she hadn't dared to let go, the Hua family would probably have to go through a period of civil strife before they could be reintegrated. A family that had gone through civil strife would never be as united as the Hua family. This old woman was a little soft-hearted, but she was not wronged by her descendants or her family, and she was worthy of everyone.
I am getting married, grandmother. You have seen the man. He is Mr. Lu, who used to be Mr. Wu in our family. He is the prince and is very good to me. He is kind to me with all his heart. I like him too, very much. We will get along well, just like you and grandfather.
I will be very happy.
PS: I don't want to explain anything. It's not the first time I've been cheated. I will definitely tell you if I stop updating. I added some content to this chapter after I came back, so the rest is messy. I will try to update three times tomorrow.