After finishing the family affairs, Jiang Miao breathed a sigh of relief. He and his second uncle and second aunt agreed to pick them up two days in advance, and the Duke Zhong's Mansion would send someone to teach them etiquette.
On the way back, Jiang Miao asked Pei Che: "What do you need for a betrothal gift?"
Pei Che frowned slightly, thought for a moment, then shook his head: "I don't know, but it seems that my cousin Tinghan from my uncle's family hunted a pair of wild geese."
"Wild geese? Why do we catch them? Are we going to raise them or eat them?" Jiang Miao's heart skipped a beat. Is this a protected animal
Pei Che laughed: "Wild geese are loyal and faithful, just like a husband singing and a wife following, and a harmonious couple singing. Usually, when proposing a marriage, a pair of wild geese are presented to show the sincerity of the marriage proposal. As for whether they are kept or eaten, I don't know. But they shouldn't be eaten, right?" He was not sure where the wild geese went.
"It's good that they don't eat it. However, geese are birds that live in groups. If we catch two of them alone, we may not be able to keep them alive. It would be terrible if they died. Let's not keep the geese." Jiang Miao said. What do the two birds know? Will the relationship between the birds be fine if we give them away? Since they are not for eating, why harm them
Pei Che didn't expect Jiang Miao to have such compassion. After he agreed, he felt a little distressed: "But if not wild geese, what should I send?" In addition to wild geese, mandarin ducks also symbolize the harmony of husband and wife. This creature seems to be able to be raised. Should he get a pair of mandarin ducks
"How about giving me a big goose? When it grows up, you can use it to guard the house, and it can lay eggs that can also be eaten. How economical!" Jiang Miao licked his lips. He suddenly remembered the taste of a big goose stewed in an iron pot. It was a pity that he had never seen anyone selling geese on Yifong Street.
"Goose...?" Pei Che hesitated.
Jiang Miao made the decision right away: "Just give the goose! Aren't you giving this thing to me? I should be able to choose it myself, right?" Gifts should touch the heart of others.
"Then I'll listen to you." Pei Che felt that he was right.
Jiang Miao became happy and asked, "Will you come on the day of the engagement?"
Pei Che asked: "Should he be coming?"
Jiang Miao had never been married, and had never attended a wedding banquet in ancient times, so he was not very clear about the marriage process. He did not expect that Pei Che did not know it either.
"I'll find out everything after I get back." Stimulated by Jiang Miao's expression, Pei Che decided to catch up on all the procedures after he returned.
The next day, when Pei Che came again, he seemed particularly confident, with an expression that said, "Ask whatever you want. If you don't understand, I lose."
Jiang Miao didn't keep him in suspense and asked him again about the things he didn't find out yesterday.
Pei Che said: "The eight necessary items for a betrothal are a mahogany box, a round mirror, a comb, three pieces of gold, a copper basin, an abacus, scissors, and a rice measure. In addition to these, other items can be added depending on the man's family background."
Jiang Miao thought about it in his mind and felt that the things here were quite reliable and could be used. It seemed that the ancient people were still very pragmatic.
As for the question of whether the man should come to the house on the day of the engagement, Pei Che also gave an answer: "At that time, my uncle and second uncle will come with the matchmaker to propose the engagement."
"Matchmaker?" This sinful marriage was arranged by the emperor on the spur of the moment. Shouldn't he be considered a matchmaker
"The emperor will send someone to watch the ceremony, and the person watching the ceremony will be the matchmaker."
Jiang Miao nodded, indicating that he understood. It seems that getting married in ancient times was not easy. I wonder if ordinary people also followed these procedures when getting married.
At the same time, Emperor Liang Ping in the palace was also selecting people to watch the ceremony. First of all, this person must not get along well with the Feng and Pei families, and secondly, he must be eloquent, so that what is passed on at that time will be more interesting.
Pei Che applied for leave from the Imperial College these days, but never went there. Except for two days at home occasionally, he stayed at the peddler's house almost all the time. Emperor Liang Ping was very curious and wanted to let someone lie on their roof to listen to what they were talking about inside.
Seeing that Emperor Liang Ping was hesitant, Xu Hai pointed out a person and said, "Your Majesty, what do you think of Mr. Gao?"
"Gao Shichang? He has a sharp tongue." Emperor Liang Ping asked, "But which family is he related to?"
Xu Hai smiled slightly: "Your Majesty, have you forgotten? Last year, Lord Feng went on a tour on your behalf and killed a group of corrupt officials on the way, among whom was a member of the Gao family. It is said that Lord Gao knew about this at the time and sent someone to plead for mercy, promising to restrain the Gao family members and prevent them from committing crimes again. But Lord Feng did not show mercy and still killed the man. The hatred between the two families was also formed at that time."
Emperor Liang Ping frowned. Gao Shichang was still of some use to him, so at that time he turned a blind eye to the request for mercy and let the two men deal with it on their own.
"Master Feng is just too arrogant, so it's inevitable that he offends people. However, he did this for the sake of the people of Daliang. If I send Gao Shichang to watch the ceremony, would it be inappropriate?"
Xu Hai accurately received the signal that Emperor Liang Ping wanted to step down, and immediately said, "Your Majesty, how did you know about my family affairs? You just thought that Mr. Gao was doing a good job, so you sent him to observe the ceremony. What's wrong with that?"
Emperor Liang Ping laughed and said, "Yes, how did I know about the conflict between the two of them? Draft an order to have Gao Shichang go to watch the ceremony."
"I obey your order."
The second day of March was the day Jiang Miao had agreed to meet with his uncle and aunt. When Jiang Miao's carriage arrived at the intersection, he found that the two were already there. From the looks of the two, they must have been waiting for a while.
Seeing such a big and beautiful carriage, the couple felt a little embarrassed and for a moment they didn't dare to step on the pedal to get in.
"I'll sit outside too!" Aunt Jiang said hastily. She was also afraid that the carriage would be damaged.
"It's okay. I'm here alone today. It's very empty inside and there's room for everyone." Jiang Miao pushed the two of them onto the carriage without saying anything.
The two sat stiffly, not knowing where to put their hands. The car mat was made of fine silk, and their hands were too rough from farm work. What if they got it snagged when they touched it? In their farm family, anyone who had a piece of clothing made of fine silk was considered a wealthy family.
"Uncle, Aunt, have some tea." Jiang Miao poured two cups of tea over. The delicate cups once again made the two feel at a loss. They held the cups tightly in their hands while drinking tea, fearing that they would break if they were not steady. Uncle Jiang remembered that the clan leader had several similar cups at home. He would only take out the cups and use them when the tax collector came every year.
Jiang Miao was somewhat helpless, and didn't know how to persuade them to relax. The natural and clear class system in ancient times was deeply rooted in everyone's heart. When ordinary people faced the powerful, they naturally felt inferior. The most terrifying thing was that this feeling came from the heart, not just superficial submission.
The carriage was very fast and returned before noon. Jiang Miao asked the driver to take them directly to the Jiang residence. At this time, Pei Che should have brought the people from the Duke's Mansion there.
From the time they got on the luxurious carriage to the endless luxurious house when they got off the carriage, the values of Jiang Ershu and his wife were constantly refreshed. At this moment, they finally felt a little bit of reality about Jiang Miao "marrying" into a wealthy family. You can make up stories, but you can't fool people with this house!
"Pei Che greets the two elders. You have traveled all the way here and must be hungry. I have asked people to prepare a light meal to welcome you." Pei Che felt that Jiang Miao was his benefactor, so he naturally had to respect the elders of his benefactor.
Jiang Ershu and the others were shocked by Pei Che's appearance. They stood there in a daze, staring at Pei Che and unable to speak. After finally coming back to their senses, they were confused by his words again.
Jiang Miao reminded quietly: "He is the man who is engaged to me, his name is Pei Che. He said he asked someone to prepare some wine and food for you."
"Oh," Uncle Jiang nodded quickly, thanked him repeatedly, and said that they could just eat whatever they wanted. Several people followed Pei Che into the main hall, and a table of sumptuous dishes appeared in front of them. The fragrance in the room made the hungry people unable to resist the urge to swallow their saliva.
"Please take the seats." Pei Che politely gave them the seats, and then he and Jiang Miao sat on the left and right. Although there were a lot of dishes on the table, except for Jiang Miao who ate with relish, the other three people didn't eat very well, especially the couple sandwiched between the two.
Pei Che was concerned that the two of them were Jiang Miao's elders, so he tried his best to appear elegant. Every move he made during the meal was as beautiful as a painting. He felt that his manners would surely earn them praise.
But he didn't know that the more they saw him like this, the more they felt uncomfortable, and they wanted to eat as well as possible so as not to embarrass Jiang Miao.
Jiang Miao finished his meal quickly and called Pei Che out. Pei Che was a little confused, thinking that it would be inappropriate for the younger generation to leave before the elders left the table. However, Jiang Miao seemed to be in a hurry, so he could only say "Excuse me" and then got up and followed Jiang Miao out.
"A Miao, why did you call me out?"
Facing his question, Jiang Miao rolled his eyes: "If I ask you to sit down again, my uncle and aunt won't eat. You usually don't eat like this when you eat at my house, why are you so polite today?" If Jiang Miao didn't know Pei Che's character, he would have thought that he was deliberately trying to show off his power.
Pei Che said: "How can I be so presumptuous in front of my elders? Of course I have to behave properly so that they will think I am good."
"You are just trying to fool your family with this, right? We are a small family and we don't have these rules. You are too pretentious, so they think you are difficult to get along with." Jiang Miao said.
Pei Che was a little surprised: "Is that so? Then wasn't I very rude just now?"
"It's not that it's impolite, it's just that they are not used to this way. The things that rich families pay attention to are different from those of us ordinary people. But this also reminds me that I have to learn from you tomorrow, otherwise your family will think I'm vulgar." Jiang Miao sighed. With such a big house to support him, he had to be more dedicated no matter what.
"People in the mansion usually eat by themselves unless it's a festival or when the elders send a message. You don't have to restrain yourself. I think the way you eat looks good." Pei Che said seriously. It was hard for him to imagine a casual person like Jiang Miao eating in a very methodical manner.
Jiang Miao smiled but said nothing. He felt very happy about Pei Che's sincere words.
The two chatted outside for a while, while Uncle Jiang and his friends were already full. Facing the empty bowls and plates, they were both a little embarrassed. The plates of the city people were too delicate, and a dish of food was finished in just a few bites.
Jiang Miao and the other man considerately pretended not to see anything. After clearing the dishes, they sat and chatted for a while. Then Jiang Miao asked Pei Che to invite the person who would explain the etiquette over.
This man was a servant of the Duke's Mansion, and was responsible for this area on weekdays. He welcomed many new people to the Duke's Mansion, and also helped the Duke's Mansion to send off many distinguished guests. He was very familiar with the etiquette of marriage.
After his explanation, Jiang Ershu and his friend felt much more at ease. They were originally very nervous about this matter, afraid that they would do something wrong and make Jiang Miao lose face. Now it seems quite simple.
After the father-in-law finished explaining the procedure to them, he led the two of them to rehearse it several times in the next two days. After everything was ready, they just had to wait quietly for tomorrow to come.
(End of this chapter)