Dress to be a celebrity

Chapter 71

Not only the officials inside and outside the court had been looking forward to this wedding for many years, but King Zhou himself had been looking forward to it for a long time.

He had met Huan Yuanniang at the concubine selection ceremony back then.At that time, she was 17 years old, a bit older, but her complexion was very clear and beautiful, she was dignified like a lady, but also had a particularly attractive elegant and bookish look, unlike all the gorgeous or beautiful noble girls he had seen , Palace people are quite different.

On the day of the concubine selection, his mother and concubine pointed to her among the three candidates to be selected and asked, "This is the granddaughter of servant Huan You. Can my mother and concubine hire me to be your concubine?"

He agreed with great joy, and then she lived in the palace...for three years.

In the past three years, his mother and concubine often sighed at him, and his grandfather and uncles always said that they would write to the imperial history to tell him to get married as soon as possible.After fighting like this until this year, a new building was built in Kunning Palace, and his father finally ordered him to get married.He felt vaguely in his heart that when his father allowed him to get married, he was still somewhat reluctant, and the ministers of the foreign court had no choice but to agree.

But no matter what, he was finally able to marry a lovable princess today, what could be more gratifying than this?The king of Zhou was full of joy, following the instructions of the ceremony officer, he carefully completed the ceremony of laying geese and welcoming the ceremony in person, and returned to the prince's residence in the palace with the concubine in a sedan chair one after the other.

His inner hall has been redecorated for this big wedding, and a wine table is set up in the middle and a little south. On it are a pair of golden cups and a pair of gourds for drinking the wine. In the east and west of the hall, there are two seats for the king and queen of Zhou. .

Another curtain was set up outside the hall. After entering the hall, the princess entered the curtain to get her make-up done first. King Zhou looked at the graceful and beautiful lady who could be seen faintly behind the thin curtain.

Standing in the center of the inner hall, the concubine, who came out from behind the scenes with full makeup, was even more stunning than when she was young.And the indifferent and sparse look that he loved the most continued unabated, as if the golden palace and the monstrous power could not leave a shadow in her heart.

After the two paid their respects in accordance with the etiquette, drank the Hebei wine, entered the wine and food three times, and finished the big ceremony, the young couple could finally enter the inner hall to rest. The King of Zhou sat next to Yuanniang and asked intimately: "Wangfei's boudoir?" Yuan Niang? From now on, I will call you Yuan Niang."

Huan Yuanniang responded with downcast eyes, "But it depends on the prince's liking."

The King of Zhou liked it so much that he wished he could hold all the things in the palace in front of her, and felt that these gold and silver things were too vulgar, and they were actually desecrating her, so he took a few books from the box, and said gently : "I heard that my uncle held two lecture conferences when he was an official in Fujian. Famous experts gathered at the conference, which can be called a grand event in the southeast. I specially asked someone to find these two collections of lectures. Yuan Niang can read them in her spare time. , can also reduce the feeling of homesickness a little.”

He sent the book to the concubine, but saw that her expression was stiff, as if she was unwilling to take the book, and he couldn't help but glanced down—he saw the word "Song Shi" printed on the bookmark at the upper left corner of the book cover.

He seemed to understand the concubine's concerns, and smiled slightly: "Mother Yuan, don't worry too much. My concubine and I know the whole story of your engagement to the Song family, so there will be no misunderstanding. In order to serve as an official in Fujian with my father, Song Shi couldn't Marrying with you is his unlucky and lonely luck."

He stuffed the book into Huan Yuanniang's arms, and the corners of his brows and eyes were full of pure joy: "Thanks to his marriage contract, Yuanniang can wait until today to marry me. If there is a chance to see him in the future, it would be better to be alone." Thanks to him."

Although the king of Zhou couldn't see the ex-fiancé of the Song Dynasty who built the bridge between him and the princess for a while, he did see his brother-in-law.

He left Beijing not long after staying in the Metropolitan Procuratorate. He had never met King Zhou, but when he first met on the day of his wedding, he had a much better impression of King Zhou than his sister.

Naturally, a courtier's requirements for the emperor are not as high as that of a young girl for her husband. As long as he is not greedy for money and lust, loves to read, and is willing to accept advice, he is an excellent emperor.The master of Yingcha like Han Wu is not as good as the gentle and generous Emperor Zhaolie, who can satisfy the yearning of ministers and scholars.

Huan Ling was a literati, and his requirements for the emperor naturally tended to be lenient, and the king of Zhou was gentle, refined, courteous, and had the word "long", so he was indeed a perfect candidate for the crown prince.

And Zhou Wang also had a very good feeling for his uncle.

This uncle was born very well, with handsome and profound features, and a figure as tall as a pine tree, which makes people feel comfortable to look at.Moreover, he was still young, with bright and sharp eyes. Although his head was lowered like an ordinary official's restrained appearance, he gave people a feeling of being safe and reliable in his silence.

This is his princess' elder brother, and he will support his family like his grandfather in the future.

The king of Zhou just coaxed the princess with two quotations from the Fujian Lecture Conference the day before yesterday. Now that he met his uncle, he happened to use those quotations as a topic: "I have nothing to do in the palace. I often read books. I also attended the Fujian Lecture Conference." Quotations, in which many brothers comment on the language of Neo Confucianism, and it is easier to read and understand than what Mr. Neishufang taught. When brother is free, would you like to come and give lectures to this king?"

Huan Ling replied calmly: "The prince lives in the palace, how can I visit the palace often? In fact, what I said is not better than others, but at that conference, the students had their own opinions, and I acted according to their philosophy. Only the reviews show something new.”

He sincerely advised the King of Zhou that learning does not necessarily require new knowledge, but more importantly, it should be applicable.The inner study room was set up by Taizu, and the teachings are all the essence left over from thousands of years of tempering and washing with sand.Instead of reading articles and Neo-Confucianism by talented scholars outside the palace, it is better to practice meditation and learn what His Majesty asked him to learn to the extreme.

Zhou Wang listened in a daze, and felt that there were some more profound meanings in the few words he said about learning, so he praised him sincerely.

But the words spread to the emperor's ears, and Emperor Xintai sighed softly: "This young man from the Huan family is sensible... Although there are some flashy rumors outside to deceive people, he should also know that he can only take what I give him. If I don't give it... he can only wait for me."

Everyone in the hall stood silently, and the words melted into the cold and silent air when they came out, as if they had never been said before.

===================

After King Zhou got married, the court was rare and quiet for a few days.

Six divisions and thirteen officials, officials of the Hanlin Academy and the Lang Department have handed over papers in the past few years, please Your Majesty to allow Zhou Wang to get married. Now that it has finally succeeded, everyone must relax for a while before planning the next admonition——Zhou Wang Being a concubine and already married, it is natural that he should prepare for the crown prince.

Everyone has such thoughts, Ma Shangshu and Huan Shilang's house are naturally full of people, and they all use the name of congratulating Zhou Wang on marrying a concubine to establish a relationship with the future Crown Prince and Crown Princess' family.

The Ma's family was crowded and never refused to come, but the Huan's family seemed much deserted.Concubine Huan's grandfather has entered the cabinet, so he will not easily meet the officials below, and Concubine Huan's elder brother is also withdrawn and indifferent.

In comparison, the reputation of Wangfei Huan's family is better than that of Ma Shangshu's family. People often say that his family is noble and does not seek power.

Huan Shilang is a well-known man, and after listening to the public opinion, he wants to restrain his family members to be upright. This way, everyone is quiet, which also reassures Huan Ling a bit.

There was nothing wrong at home, so he could just devote his mind to the exam, to his junior brother who was about to take the exam in Beijing.

It's just that Song Shi deliberately postponed his trip to Beijing in order to avoid the officials of the Ministry of Rites who brought him to Beijing. Huan Ling waited from the first month to February, and waited until the river opened and the spring was warm, before finally receiving a short note from the Fujian Guild Hall: Song Shi At that time, I chartered a boat to Beijing with the local scholars from Wuping, and I happened to enter Beijing on the first day of February.

But after entering Beijing, Song Shi couldn't come to see him, because his two elder brothers also went to Beijing to take the exam, and now they have booked the inn room where they used to live in the past, and he will join his elder brothers to live with him after entering Beijing.

——When he was parting, he told Song Shi to come to Beijing to rest earlier, but this junior had his own ideas, and if he didn't listen to him, he really should be taught a lesson.

Thinking of this, Huan Ling relaxed his worried brows when his younger sister got married, put away the paper with a smile, found the inn where the two elder brothers of the Song family lived, and personally invited them to come to him Live in the yard rented in advance to prepare for the exam in Song Dynasty.

Although the two brothers of the Song family knew from the family letters of their father and younger brother that Huan Ling treated them very well, after all, the two families retired, and the girl who was supposed to be their sister-in-law has now become a princess, and they are asked to live in Huan Ling's house. In the yard, there was always some awkwardness between the two of them.

However, Huan Ling wanted to invite them, so naturally he couldn't give them a chance to shirk. He pointed to Song Shi and said, "Even if the two brothers themselves don't want to go back with me, don't you want Shi Guan'er to review quietly? He took the exam so easily. If Xie Yuan from Fujian got into the top three because of poor food and lodging and lack of energy, wouldn’t he not be worthy of his talent and learning, and also the name of Xie Yuan in other places?”

When it comes to the Achilles' heel of the younger brother, the two elder brothers can't say anything.

Their talents followed their father's, and they had to work hard to pass the exam, and they didn't dare to expect to be on the list. Taking the exam every year is just for their own peace of mind.But Shi Guan'er is different from them, this kid is a child prodigy, although he missed several subjects a few years ago and didn't pass, but this time he came back from Xie Yuan!

Jieyuan from Fujian!

Not only is it several times more difficult than the test in Beizhili!

What kind of talent is Shi Guaner able to pass Jie Yuan?It doesn't matter if they are wronged a little bit, but how can Shi Guan'er delay another subject because of the bad living conditions!

The Song brothers agreed aggrievedly for their younger brother.Huan Ling personally took them to the small courtyard, and presented several copies of the Xinwei ink collection compiled by Cheng Wen and famous art makers he had collected in the Song Dynasty after returning to Beijing, asking the two elder brothers to review them with peace of mind.

By the way, when Fujian Juzi came to Beijing on the first day of February, he also took Song Shi into this courtyard.

He had just returned to the Metropolitan Procuratorate to be on duty, and his younger sister had become a new concubine, so it was inconvenient for him to ask for leave to pick up people. He felt much more at ease when his two elder brothers went to pick up Shiguan'er.

The Song family brothers were forced to move by him, and he promised him to bring his younger brother to live with him in this small courtyard. After he left at night, the brothers sat in front of the bright and clean hall and talked, and they all said in bewilderment: " We are Shi Guan'er's real brothers, why do you ask him to arrange this day, it seems that he is closer to Shi Guan'er than us?"

Did he still call Shi Guaner during the day?

They have all divorced, and this brother-in-law still treats himself as an outsider!

The two brothers were also dissatisfied that he was too affectionate with their younger brother, and they were a little thankful that his younger brother had such a reliable friend in the court. After complaining among their brothers for a while, they still listened to Huan Ling's arrangement and went to the city gate to pick him up on the first day of February. Song Dynasty.

Chairman Shen, Zhao Yueshu and other Juren from Wuping County were all envious when they saw his two elder brothers coming to pick him up in person.Song Shi was such an adult, and he was a little embarrassed to see his elder brother picking him up like a child. After saying goodbye to Fujian Juzi who was traveling with him, he asked: "The two elder brothers are not studying at the inn, why did you remember to pick me up? I am also there I have lived in the capital for several years, and I am more familiar with the place than my brothers..."

His elder brother pursed his lips, expressing a bit of anger on purpose: "We don't want to stay in the hotel for a long time, your good senior brother forced us into the yard he rented a few days ago, and told us to come pick you up and live there It's so quiet to review..."

Second Brother Song was also full of resentment, and snorted through his nose: "Does he need to tell me this? We, as elder brothers, don't know how to pick up younger brothers? It's as if he is closer to you than we are!"

In the past few years, he lived in the same yard with his senior brother every day, and he was indeed a little closer than his brother.

Song Shi was embarrassed to tell the truth, so he laughed a few times and asked, "Is Brother Huan on duty today? I heard on the way that Junior Sister Huan was married as the Princess of Zhou, and my brother has also returned to the Imperial Academy. I have to buy some later." Why congratulate him."

The second brother sighed and said: "When you meet, you don't ask how your brothers are, but ask your unfavorable uncle first. It can be seen that Fujian has been bought by him in recent years! I knew that my father would leave you when he returned to Beijing University the year before last." At home, our brothers followed south to save a younger brother from being abducted!"

When Song Shi heard the word "guai", he was inexplicably guilty, and quickly put on a serious face and said: "I am in Fujian with my father, so naturally I only think about how my mother, brothers, sisters-in-law, nephews and nieces will be abducted by outsiders! "

Never!

He and the little senior brother have an innocent relationship between seniors and brothers!Even if he intends to listen to his father's words and marry Jinlan with others, he is also a pure righteous brother who does not belong to the genealogy!

Brother Song asked him to make a very serious confession, which made him a little puzzled, and he didn't know what stimulated him.After thinking about it, I still scolded my second brother for the right thing: "Shi Guan'er has always kissed us, how can it be so easy to be cheated away? What are you talking about? Look at scaring the child!"