"Unworthy grandson Zhu Ping'an/granddaughter-in-law Li Shu, obeying the will of heaven, inheriting the union of earth, obeying the orders of parents, listening to the words of matchmaker, Qin and Jin have been established, and become one family. Treat each other with respect; give birth to children, continue the family destiny; prosper the family, bring honor to the ancestors. Heaven and earth bless you, and the ancestors know you."
In the Zhu family ancestral hall, Zhu Ping'an and Li Shu stood in front of the ancestral tablet and read the "Announcement", then inserted the lit incense into the incense burner in front of the tablet, then stepped back three steps, clasped their hands together in a profound salute, and knelt on the ground to salute the ancestral tablet.
This is a necessary procedure to inform ancestors of the marriage and seek their blessings.
When Zhu Ping'an and Li Shu were paying their respects, their grandmother, eldest aunt, third aunt, fourth aunt and others were waiting outside the ancestral hall. In addition to Zhu Ping'an and Li Shu, old man Zhu and uncle Zhu Shouren were also standing nearby.
Just now, Zhu Pingan and Li Shu entered the old house and met the grandmother and aunt. After Zhu Pingan introduced the elders to Li Shu, the grandmother and the aunt told Zhu Pingan that Mr. Zhu and uncle Zhu Shouren were in the ancestral hall at the moment. Because uncle Zhu Shouren was about to go to Yingtian Prefecture to take the Tongsheng exam, according to convention, before going on a long journey or before something important happened, he had to go to the ancestral hall to worship and inform the ancestors and ask for their blessings.
Zhu Ping'an brought Li Shu to the old house. In addition to taking Li Shu to meet Mr. Zhu and other elders of the Zhu family, another purpose was to come to the ancestral hall to inform the ancestors of his marriage and seek their blessings. This is also a necessary procedure in wedding customs.
So, after hearing the news about grandpa and uncle in the ancestral hall, Zhu Ping'an told his grandmother and the others and brought Li Shu to the ancestral hall. When they arrived at the ancestral hall, grandpa and uncle had just finished worshipping their ancestors and were about to go back.
The uncle was wearing a brand new round-neck straight-collared gown with wide sleeves, and he looked elegant and refined. He was not embarrassed to see Zhu Ping'an, as if the incident of trying to seize the family property and being beaten by Mr. Zhu had never happened. The grandfather was fierce that day, but now he was in a peaceful mood.
My grandmother and her family also came along, but female members of the family were not allowed to enter the ancestral hall, except for once during a wedding, when they could come in, and after that they could not enter the ancestral hall casually.
After Zhu Ping'an and his friends paid respects to the ancestral tablets, they returned to the old house together. After arriving at the old house, they returned to the main room of the old house. Mr. Zhu and Mrs. Zhu sat on chairs and accepted Li Shu's tea.
When Li Shu and the others went to the ancestral hall, the maids who stayed in the old house had already boiled water and made tea.
"Grandfather, please have some tea."
Li Shu first served Mr. Zhu with fragrant tea with both hands. A small tea tray held a cup of fragrant tea with two red dates and lotus seeds in it, which meant to give birth to a noble son.
"well."
Old Master Zhu looked at Zhu Ping'an and Li Shu kneeling in front of him, his face full of smiles and satisfaction, saying hello twice in a row. His grandson Zhu Ping'an is less than fifteen years old, but he is already the top scholar in the Ming Dynasty, and he is already a sixth-rank official. He has a bright future in the future. This is unique in the Ming Dynasty. It really brings honor to the Zhu family. This is a blessing from the Zhu family's ancestral graves. Who doesn't say that he has a good grandson when he goes out now? His grandson's wife Li Shu is the daughter of a wealthy family. She is beautiful, filial, sensible and good at managing the household. Her reputation has spread throughout the town. She will definitely be a good wife in the future.
However, after taking the tea handed over by his granddaughter-in-law Li Shu, Mr. Zhu couldn't help feeling regretful and couldn't help thinking of the past. If only, if he hadn't separated the second son's family so early.
"Grandma, please have some tea." Li Shufu held up another cup of fragrant tea in both hands and handed it to Grandma Zhu.
"Well, okay." Old Mrs. Zhu said simply.
After serving tea, Mrs. Zhu, on behalf of Mr. Zhu, gave Li Shu a red envelope wrapped in red paper.
"Granddaughter-in-law thanks grandpa and grandma."
Li Shu took the red envelope and thanked him sweetly, with a smile on her face. Of course, as for what she was thinking, I don't know, after all, I knew it as soon as I received the red envelope, it was no more than ten copper coins.
Generally speaking, after drinking the tea offered by the new bride, the elders will give some of their most precious treasures as a gift. It is rare to see someone like Old Lady Zhu using copper coins as a gift. After all, every family has some treasures from the bottom of the box. The Zhu family's old house has more heritage than that of ordinary families in the village, so they probably have no shortage of treasures from the bottom of the box.
After serving tea to Mr. Zhu and Mrs. Zhu, Zhu Ping'an and Li Shu stood up and served tea to the uncle and his family in turn. After receiving the tea, everyone said a few words of congratulations on the wedding, except for the uncle.
"Zi'er has started a family. From now on, you are an adult. You must take responsibility for your actions and conduct in the future."
Uncle Zhu Shouren was wearing a brand new straight-dress with wide sleeves and a round collar. After taking the tea, he held the tea lid and scratched it twice, took a sip and put it on the table. He stood in front of Zhu Ping'an with his hands behind his back, and gave him earnest advice in the manner of an elder.
"I will follow my uncle's teachings." Zhu Ping'an bowed slightly.
"Yeah." Uncle Zhu Shouren stroked his beard and nodded, showing the demeanor of an elder.
After offering tea, everyone chatted for a few more words, and then the topic naturally turned to my uncle's trip to Yingtian Prefecture to take the imperial examination.
"This time I am going to take the examination in Yingtian Prefecture. Everything is ready. I just need to enter the venue and test my skills, and then I can take what I want."
Uncle Zhu Shouren paced a few steps with his hands behind his back, stroking his beard, with a confident smile on his face. He looked confident and had the demeanor of a great man.
What is the difference between not pretending to be cool and being a salted fish? ! Uncle Zhu Shouren fully verified this truth.
Well
Seeing his uncle Zhu Shouren looking like he was struck by lightning, Zhu Ping'an didn't know what to say. He must have heard his uncle's words several times. He remembered that he had heard his uncle say similar words at Changting the last time he took the Tongsheng exam. He had probably heard them several times in other occasions.
"Then I, your nephew, would like to wish you success in the imperial examination and a successful start." Zhu Ping'an curled the corners of his mouth and said against his will.
In fact, Zhu Ping'an still did not think highly of his uncle. It was not that he looked down on his uncle for no reason, but because the last time he went to Yingtian Prefecture with his uncle to take the exam, his uncle's series of actions made it impossible for him to be optimistic about him.
The imperial examination and the trip to Yingtian were more like a public-funded trip for my uncle. The family sold everything they had and saved every penny they could to give him the money he needed. He used the money, which was stained with the family's hard work, to enjoy a romantic life.
Haha, it seems that the last time I went to take an exam with my uncle, I never saw him read a book or prepare for an exam for dozens of days. Not even once. But I often saw my uncle go out with this or that person to drink and attend banquets, to show support and comfort the fallen women of this era, and to fight for favors and get jealous. The day before the exam, my uncle did not forget to comfort the fallen women... ...
"It seems that Zhu'er has full confidence in his uncle." Uncle Zhu Shouren stroked his beard and looked at Zhu Ping'an, nodding with satisfaction.
Haha, your eyes can tell that I have full confidence in you. Zhu Pingan was speechless. (To be continued.)