Chapter 475: Grandmother Jia is stunned
There is no need to say much about the whole process, because it had been agreed upon long ago. So the two parties accepted the gifts, and the Xia family also handed over the document with Xia Jingui's birth date and eight characters. The ceremony of accepting the betrothal gift was considered complete, and the next step was to wait for the ceremony of asking for the name.
On the same day, the palace also sent a message to the Lin and Xue families that the date of the betrothal ceremony had been set, which would be in three days.
…
"ah!"
In Rongxi Hall, Jia Cong and the old lady looked at Xia Shouzhong in some surprise. Xia Shouzhong had just come to deliver a message, saying that His Majesty and the Empress had already decided to let the Jia, Xue and Lin families hold the betrothal ceremony in advance, and the Imperial Astronomical Observatory had calculated the date, which was three days later.
The Jia family does not need to worry about the rest of the matters, as the palace has already prepared everything, even the marriage, the stewards, and the recipients of the letters have all been arranged. When the time comes, the arranged people will come and wait a day in advance, and on that day they will go directly from the Jia family to pay their respects.
Jia Cong looked at the old lady and felt a little amused. It was true that he didn't need to be present in the matter of the gift exchange, but he was involved after all. However, he was the last one to know?
The old lady was also a little stunned. This was obviously her own family matter, so why did it seem like the emperor and empress cared more about it than she did?
However, since it has come to this point, there is naturally no way to change it.
"Since His Majesty and His Majesty have helped to set the date and have informed the Xue and Lin families, let's do it this way!" said the old lady.
"Trouble you, General Manager Xia, to pass on the message. However, I don't know who the marriage envoy, steward, and letter-receiver are that His Majesty has arranged. My Jia family would be wise to communicate with them in advance to avoid any mistakes."
Xia Shouzhong smiled and said, "Don't worry, old Lord. His Majesty and His Majesty are extremely concerned about this matter. How could anything go wrong?"
"There are two marriage envoys, one of whom is Prince An from the Imperial Clan Court, and the other is Duke Yansheng!"
Yes, Prince An and Minister of Rites Guan Jie were originally chosen. However, after the old father-in-law Shang Mao learned the news, he immediately gave Duke Yansheng Kong Hongtai, who had just arrived in Shenjing, a feast of wine and forced him to accept the offer.
With the current Duke of Yansheng stepping forward, the position of Minister of Rites Guan Jie was somewhat insufficient. After all, although Guan Jie was about the same age as Kong Hongtai, he was actually Kong Hongtai's disciple. In fact, in terms of prestige, Duke of Yansheng was even more prestigious than Prince An.
The old lady and Jia Cong were both stunned. This was just their own betrothal ceremony, but they asked Prince An and Duke Yansheng to act as marriage envoys. How could the Jia family be so respectable?
"Manager Xia, how could a grandson of the Jia family be so respectable as to trouble Prince An and Duke Yansheng to come forward?" the old lady said hesitantly, "Besides, this is a bit beyond the pale."
According to the old lady's idea, the more grand the gift to her grandson is, the better. However, she cannot invite these two great gods, and even if she can, she dare not invite them.
The old prince was of the same generation as the old Concubine Zhen, and not much younger than her. Although he was born out of wedlock, he was considered a patriarch of the royal family. As for the Duke of Yansheng, his disciples spread all over the world. Whenever he stood there, at least 30% to 40% of the civil and military officials in the court would kneel down and pay their respects as his disciples.
The old lady was flattered to have two such great figures serve as her family's marriage envoys.
Moreover, his grandson's position was indeed not low, but it was far inferior to that of the princes and grandchildren of the emperor. For example, when the eldest prince was married, the envoy was only the Minister of Rites. What merits and qualifications did his grandson have...
Xia Shouzhong smiled and said, "Old Lord, this was decided by His Majesty and His Majesty personally, and His Majesty the Retired Emperor also approved it."
The old lady gave a bitter laugh and asked, "Who are the butler and the recipient of the book?"
Since the marriage envoy invited such a person, I guess the steward and the person who received the book are not ordinary people either.
"How can you call me such an old lady? It's a blessing for our family. His Majesty has appointed me and Dai Zongguan of the Daming Palace as stewards. As for the recipients, he has invited the Great Illusionary and Zhang Jizong, the Director of the Imperial Observatory! Originally, His Majesty wanted the old Heavenly Master Zhang Hongren to go, but time was running out, so Zhang Jizong had to take the place."
Zhang Hongren is the current Heavenly Master of Mount Longhu, but due to his advanced age, he has been in seclusion there, recuperating for many years without concern for worldly affairs. Zhang Jizong is Zhang Hongren's son, and will inherit the position of Heavenly Master upon his father's death, making him the undisputed next Heavenly Master of Mount Longhu.
Faced with this arrangement, the old lady felt dizzy. Perhaps His Majesty and His Majesty had misremembered this, and this was their grandson marrying, not the Crown Prince taking a concubine...
Such a team is enough even for the prince to marry a concubine.
"Including the betrothal ceremony, His Majesty has already ordered the Ministry of Rites and the Imperial Household Department to oversee it . There will be no delay. The day after tomorrow, they will all be delivered to your residence along with the servants and others."
"So, there's no need for you, old Lord Feng, to make any arrangements. Just wait and pay the tribute."
Even after Xia Shouzhong passed away, the old lady and Jia Cong had not yet come to their senses.
"Why are the old ancestor and Brother Cong standing here in a daze? Haven't the nobles in the palace left? What's the matter?" Wang Xifeng walked in and saw the two of them in such a state, so she hurriedly asked.
The old lady came to her senses, but did not respond to Wang Xifeng. Instead, she asked Jia Cong in confusion, "Grandson, why do you think the royal family is going to such great lengths? The royal family is indeed friendly to you, but it's not worth it."
Jia Cong also smiled bitterly and shook his head. "My grandson has just learned the news, how can I understand it? Perhaps my grandson is about to lead the troops to war, so Your Majesty has issued this decree to give me some respect ?"
"It can only be like this!" Grandmother Jia sighed helplessly.
"Feng girl, you've arrived just in time! Someone in the palace just sent word that in three days our family will go to the Lin and Xue families to hold the betrothal ceremony for Cong-ge'er! Although the royal family has already made preparations, we must also prepare some to avoid being caught off guard and missing anything."
"You haven't experienced anything as serious as this yet. I'll draw up a plan myself and you can follow it."
Wang Xifeng gave Jia Cong a subtle look. It was her enemy's wedding, but she had to help. How could this make sense?
However, although there was a bit of bitterness in her heart, she responded, "With the ancestor personally taking action, Feng'er is relieved. Otherwise, Feng'er would really be a little nervous."
Whether one can handle big things is one of the most important indicators of whether a daughter-in-law is qualified. And the so-called big things are nothing more than weddings and funerals!
Why had Wang Xifeng gritted her teeth and insisted on attending the funeral in the East Mansion? Wasn't it for her own dignity? As long as she handled such matters well, she would be less likely to be questioned as the housekeeper in the mansion. Otherwise, if something really happened, many people would criticize her for being picky.
