Chapter 543 Kong Hongtai's Speculation
Even after leaving the camp, Yu Wenxuan still looked shocked.
"Father, what did the Marquis of Baoling mean just now? Isn't Huayang County within Chengdu Prefecture? How could there be rebel soldiers?" Yuwen Shao asked in confusion.
Yu Wenxuan came back to his senses and sighed, "Then the Wang and Fan families are finished..."
…
Starting from the first day of the Lunar New Year, the two Jia families held grand banquets for several days, and on the fifteenth day, Grandmother Jia held a grand banquet to entertain the two families as well as the Lin and Xue families !
The banquet on the fifteenth was naturally extremely lively. The sisters who had not gotten together for a while had a great time having a great time.
On the 16th, the Jia family, which had just finished a grand banquet, became busy again. Because the 17th day of the first lunar month was the day for "asking for names".
Because of the previous Nacai ceremony, both the Lin family and the Xue family were extremely busy. This time there would not be the trouble and etiquette of Nacai, but there would also be corresponding ceremonial guards and gifts.
In fact, the earliest questioning of the woman's name was about her mother's surname, in order to determine whether she was legitimate or not. Later, it gradually evolved into asking about the woman's name, birth date, family background, wealth, health condition, etc. Of course, the main question here is about the birth date in order to proceed to the next step.
In other words, asking for the name and Najib's next step are inherently linked.
After asking for the names and birth dates of both parties, a Geng Tie (Geng Tie) with both names and birth dates written on it should be placed before the ancestral altar. The ancestors should be consulted to determine whether the marriage is auspicious or inauspicious. A Buddhist or Taoist will also be consulted to determine if there are any conflicts or incompatibilities between the two parties' birth dates. If all is auspicious, the marriage is suitable.
At this time, the man will write a document and give it to the woman to indicate that the marriage is agreed. This process is called Naji, also known as the written engagement, and the document the man gives to the woman is the "engagement letter" among the three books and six ceremonies.
Compared with the gifts given at the time of accepting marriage proposal, the gifts required for asking for the name have become much simpler. One goose is a must-have item, and the other gifts can range from the lowest fourth grade to the highest thirty-sixth grade according to the rank of the nobility.
…
Dingguohou Mansion!
Duke Yansheng Kong Hongtai was dragged to the main hall by his father-in-law Shang Mao with a helpless look on his face.
"You can drink my wine if you want to, and you can choose not to drink it if you don't want to." Shang Mao said proudly as he pushed Kong Hongtai onto the chair.
"Besides, you old bastard have been living in Shenjing for several months, and all your food and clothes are mine. Are you not happy to treat you to a drink?"
Kong Hongtai rolled his eyes and asked, "Then I'll leave?"
"You... Humph! Stop talking nonsense and drink!"
Soon, after three rounds of drinks, Kong Hongtai hurriedly suppressed Shang Mao's hand that was pouring the wine, "If you have something to say, say it. I don't have time to drink with you!"
Drinking with this drunkard is just asking for trouble. The problem is that I can't even drink as much as him...
"Hehe!" Shang Mao grinned. "Last time, that boy was offering betrothal gifts, and you're the marriage envoy. You can't just give up halfway, right? Everything else is ready. You can go again tomorrow!"
"I knew you were up to no good," Kong Hongtai said helplessly. He was a good man, the Duke of Yansheng, but this old scoundrel forced him to become a matchmaker. How could he complain? If he hadn't been directly deceived by the old scoundrel last time and hadn't signed a contract as proof, how could he have agreed?
Looking up at Shang Mao, Kong Hongtai said to himself, "Alas, I've been lacking a good ink lately..."
"You old man, you just took a fancy to my Tinggui ink and gave it to you!" Shang Mao said with his eyes wide open.
"Hahaha!" Kong Hongtai laughed triumphantly, "Then I will go there tomorrow."
…
Back in the room, Kong Hongtai played with the Tinggui ink in his hand, his face full of surprise and confusion.
He and Shang Mao have been friends for a lifetime. Apart from his own sister, he has never seen this old friend care so much about anyone.
To say that Marquis Guanjun Jia Cong was indeed a young hero, but he did not deserve such treatment from this old friend. To say that it was because of his relationship with the ancestors of the Jia family was even more impossible. The Jia family back then was the lineage of the former crown prince, and they were completely different from the current Emperor Longxing. Even if the current emperor valued Jia Cong, he was not worthy of being treated like this by his father-in-law.
"The lineage of the late crown prince?" Kong Hongtai muttered to himself, but then shook his head. If it was left behind by the late crown prince, then it would have nothing to do with Shang Mao, the current father-in-law of the emperor.
Kong Hongtai closed his eyes and carefully recalled the scene of his last meeting with Jia Cong.
Although he does not have Jia Cong's photographic memory, as the contemporary Duke Yansheng, he naturally has some abilities, at least there is no problem with his memory.
"No, no!" Kong Hongtai shook his head. "Everyone else is normal, but the attitude of those two chief stewards doesn't seem like they're treating a favored minister. Instead, it's like they're treating their master..."
"Master ?" Kong Hongtai exclaimed, even he was frightened by the thought. Those two were indeed servants, but there were only a few people who could be treated as masters by them. Then he thought about the attitude of his old friend...
"Hiss..." Lord Yansheng took a breath of cold air.
…
Inside the imperial palace, the immortal Dahuan and the director of the Imperial Observatory, Zhang Jizong, stood before Emperor Longxing.
"Tomorrow is the day when Champion Marquis Jia Cong will come to ask for your name and exchange gifts. You two will need to make a trip!"
Although both of them were immortal-like figures, they did not dare to neglect the emperor and immediately bowed and responded, "I obey your order!"
Emperor Longxing coughed lightly and said, "Um... Tomorrow we will ask for the names of the two families. The Lin and Xue families will need to write engagement letters, right?"
Both of them were a little confused. Since it was about asking for a name, there must be a Geng Tie. Your Majesty didn't understand this? Is there any need to ask?
"Of course!" said the Great Illusionary with a smile. "Tomorrow we'll get the engagement letter. After we examine it, we'll send it directly to the Jia residence and calculate its auspiciousness as soon as possible. We won't waste any time."
"Well..." Emperor Longxing grinned. "Two Taoist priests, what do you think... is it possible to send the engagement letter to the palace first, let me take a look, and then send it to the Jia Mansion after some time?"
As soon as these words were spoken, Immortal Dahuan and Zhang Jizong both opened their eyes wide and looked at Emperor Longxing with puzzled expressions.
The Engagement Letter records the birthdays of the two girls, not a memorial. As an emperor, are you interested in this thing?
"What? It's unreasonable just because I think about it?" Emperor Longxing said angrily.
The two wanted to ask, "Where is the rationale for this?" But seeing the emperor's unpleasant expression, they dared not ask.
"Your Majesty, do you want to take it over and have a look?" Zhang Jizong asked hesitantly.
"I'm not just checking, I'm checking for a few days! Um... 49 days, I'll check for a month or two, is there any problem?"
