amaotonovel Chapter 294 First Hardship, Part 1: Zhejiang East Group, Yang Shaofeng's Wedding
Chapter 294 First Hardship, Part 1: Zhejiang East Group, Yang Shaofeng's Wedding
The question of where to open the border market was decided upon in a suggestion made almost jokingly by Li Shanchang.
Nobody thought there was anything wrong with it.
After all, Emperor Zhu did indeed bestow upon Magistrate Yang a separate mansion, the same in scale as the two princess mansions.
We can't let the emperor lose money.
Only Liu Bowen disagreed.
Liu Bowen wanted to cry.
Liu Bowen wanted to curse.
But Liu Bowen ultimately held back.
After all, the border market cannot be established in a day or two. There is still a long time before Yang Dianfeng goes to Dengzhou to become the prefect, and the Zhejiang East Group still has time to make preparations.
More importantly, the interests of Zhejiang East Group are important, but my own life is even more important.
If he had to choose between the two, Liu Bowen felt that it wasn't unreasonable to put the Zhejiang East Group through some hardship.
As for the Huaixi Noble Group...
Firstly, the Huaixi noble group has always trusted Emperor Zhu and Li Shanchang. Previously, Magistrate Yang proposed a progressive tax rate and the royal land system, and Emperor Zhu then used the harvester as an excuse to exempt them from taxes for fifty years. This made the Huaixi group know that Emperor Zhu had not forgotten them.
Secondly, the Huaixi Noble Group has always been marginalized by the Zhejiang East Group in maritime trade, and has little to no profit in it. Where the trading post is located is not important to the Huaixi Noble Group, and they are all eager to see the Zhejiang East Group make a fool of itself.
Therefore, the fourteenth day of the first month of the first year of Hongwu passed in this extremely delicate atmosphere until the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first month.
Yang Shaofeng was woken up early by Xu Zhong. He then changed his clothes, washed up, and put on the auspicious clothes that Chen Zhong had sent over that morning. Surrounded by the Chang brothers, he mounted a tall horse and officially began the wedding procession.
In the palace, Jin'er and Yu'er got up early to change their clothes and wash up before starting the ceremony of the pavilion ceremony.
First, she went to pay her respects to Emperor Zhu and Empress Ma. Then, she went to the ancestral temple in Fengxian Hall to burn incense and thank Emperor Zhu and Empress Ma for their upbringing and to listen to their admonitions. After that, she set off to the princess's residence to do her hair and makeup.
The process of dressing up was also very complicated, involving threading the face, combing the hair, drawing eyebrows, applying rouge, and changing into gorgeous clothes.
The so-called "face-pinching" or "face-opening" is a ritual performed by a matchmaker who uses thread to pluck the fine hairs from the bride's forehead and temples. This is meant to give the bride a fresh look and to wish her a happy and fulfilling marriage.
While the bride is getting ready, the groom, accompanied by his best man, goes to fetch her. Once they arrive at the bride's home, the first step is to sing the wedding ceremony.
The so-called "announcing the betrothal gifts" does not refer to the master of ceremonies saying auspicious words, but rather to announcing the betrothal gifts one by one for everyone to hear. The value of the betrothal gifts is irrelevant; the main point is to show that the family's daughter is being married off through proper betrothal, not through an unconventional marriage or as a concubine.
Magistrate Yang didn't need to worry about this step, since these rules were set by the Ministry of Rites and the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs, and the so-called betrothal gifts had already been sent by Empress Ma. The so-called ceremony was more of a formality.
After the ceremony of welcoming the new emperor and his bride was over, Zhu Biao, as the brother-in-law, had to come out to greet the new son-in-law and respectfully escort Yang Shaofeng into the main hall of the princess's residence, where Yang Shaofeng would serve tea to Emperor Zhu and Empress Ma.
During these processes, the attendants accompanying Magistrate Yang will receive a warm welcome. Zhu Biao's younger brothers will accompany these attendants to drink tea and chat until the wedding procession begins.
This step is the groomsmen's nightmare—the process of urging the bride to get ready for the wedding begins, which means the bride is about to leave her parents' home, so the bride's family will make things difficult for the groom's side in various ways.
However, since the bride is going to marry the groom, for the sake of the couple's relationship, the bride's family, no matter how reluctant they are to let the bride get married, cannot make things too difficult for the groom. So the unlucky ones are the best man.
It's like being teased by the bride's bridesmaids, receiving "opening envelopes" (red envelopes), composing poems to urge the bride to get ready, and praising auspicious words—these procedures are all indispensable.
The key moment comes after the door to the bridal chamber is opened. Because the best men and women are supposed to escort the groom to greet the bride, and the bride's brothers and sisters are reluctant to beat up the groom, the best men and women get their turn to get beaten up.
Of course, the wedding procession is a joyous occasion, and the beating of the groomsmen is just to tell the groom that the bride has a powerful family and that he should not mistreat her after the wedding. So it is certain that the groomsmen will be beaten, but no one will actually take this opportunity to hit them hard. In the end, the groom will still be allowed to take the bride out of her boudoir and put her in the bridal sedan chair.
At this stage, it becomes what was previously known as the "Ten-Mile Red Dowry".
The "ten-mile red bridal procession" doesn't refer to lining ten miles of trees with red cloth. Rather, it means the bride's dowry was carried by people to the groom's house, with the entire procession stretching for ten miles. Various items in the dowry, such as beds, chests, cabinets, and kitchenware, were wrapped in red cloth or simply covered with it, hence the name "ten-mile red bridal procession."
Among the many dowry items, the most important is the bed. This must be provided by the bride's family. The official reason is that it is the bed that their daughter is used to sleeping in, but in reality, it is to support the bride. If the newlyweds have a quarrel, the bride will have the confidence to say, "Get off my bed."
Similarly, the sedan chair used by the groom during the wedding procession is also an important prop to reflect the bride's status. For example, the eight-bearer sedan chair, which is normally not allowed to be used by ordinary people or even low-ranking officials, can be used by ordinary people during the wedding.
This is why there was an ancient saying, "I am the one you welcome into your home with three matchmakers, six betrothal gifts, and an eight-bearer sedan chair."
Of course, Yang Shaofeng couldn't use an eight-bearer sedan chair to marry his wife, because he was marrying a princess, and he had to use a sixteen-bearer sedan chair, which was a bridal sedan chair carried by sixteen sedan chair bearers.
Once the bride is on the bridal sedan chair, three cannon shots will be fired outside the princess's residence. Then, musicians will lead the way with their instruments, while Yang Shaofeng, dressed in auspicious attire, will ride a horse behind the musicians through the streets, all the way to the prince consort's residence.
Upon arriving at the Prince Consort's residence, Yang Shaofeng dismounted and lifted the curtain of the sedan chair. The princess, supported by her maids, stepped down from the chair. They then went to the ancestral hall in the Prince Consort's residence to pay respects to their ancestors, followed by Liu Jizu, who served as Yang Shaofeng's elder and matchmaker. Finally, they went to the bridal chamber to hold the wedding ceremony.
During this process, all the guests were received by the Chang brothers and Li Qi and other attendants. They would only come out to attend the banquet after Yang Shaofeng and the two princesses had completed their nuptial ceremony. The entire process was overseen by a master of ceremonies who would chant rites until the banquet ended and the guests dispersed.
In other words, Yang Shaofeng remained a puppet throughout the entire wedding ceremony, only able to see his bride after the banquet ended and the veil was lifted on their wedding night.