Jiu Zhang Ji: The Daily Life of the Reborn Daughter

Chapter 47: Accepting the Marriage

On February 16th, Dingguo Gongfu was appointed.

The people in the mansion got up early in the morning and worked hard. They not only cleaned the whole mansion spotlessly, but also cleaned the road in front of the door. All that was left was to hang up lanterns and decorations, and beat gongs and drums. The servants were all beaming with joy. They were able to get rid of the quagmire of the Bai Mansion and marry the prince. Everyone in the Dingguo Mansion was happy.

Yesterday, Concubine Yun sent someone to deliver a letter, which stated that she would come to propose marriage today. The Duke Dingguo's Mansion accepted the letter, which meant that they agreed to come. If they did not agree, they would return the letter directly.

At the end of the Chen hour, Concubine Yun's carriage stopped at the gate of Duke Dingguo's mansion. A servant had already found out the news halfway and quickly passed it to the mansion.

The old Duke's wife was wearing imperial clothing and a gold hairpin in her hair. She looked dignified, calm, graceful and elegant.

Qiao Lili was also dressed up, wearing a peach pink brocade pleated skirt, a cherry pink jacket embroidered with gold thread, a ruyi jade pendant at her waist, her black hair piled up like clouds behind her head, tied into a double bun, decorated with a few pearl flowers, and a jade and gold hairpin, with a peach blossom hairpin on her forehead, which made her skin look white as cream and her eyebrows and eyes look like a painting.

The old Duke's wife, along with a group of people from the Duke Ding's Mansion, stood at the gate to greet them.

Concubine Yun got off the car, and the old Duke's wife led everyone to pay homage. Concubine Yun took the lead and helped the old Duke's wife up: "Old man, please don't do that. In terms of seniority and age, we should all pay our respects to you. From now on, we are a family. Please lead the way."

She supported the old lady and ignored Qiao Lili, who had already finished her formal ceremony and stood up. When Concubine Yun saw Qiao Lili's familiar little face, she wondered why she was cuter than when she was a child. "Little A'li, come to your aunt quickly."

As soon as the word "Aunt" came out, Qiao Lili couldn't hold it in any longer. She didn't care about etiquette and threw herself into Concubine Yun's arms, choking and saying, "Fairy Aunt, A Li misses you so much. My mother, my mother..."

How could Concubine Yun not think of Wen Xi when she saw Qiao Lili? These two women were just like Boya and Ziqi, soulmates who met in the mountains and rivers. That kind of pure emotion of mutual appreciation is hard to find in the world. She choked up at the moment, "Little A-li, if you are willing, auntie will be your mother from now on."

When they arrived at the main hall and sat down according to the guests and hosts, Concubine Yun wanted to pull Qiao Lili to sit with her, but the old Duke's wife said, "Let her make tea for us. Concubine, please try her cooking skills."

Concubine Yun then remembered that she was here to discuss marriage, and Ali should be shy and avoid her, so she let go. Qiao Lili bowed and took her leave. Concubine Yun followed Qiao Lili's figure with her eyes until she disappeared at the door.

Concubine Yun took off her veil. Even when she was not walking outside as a concubine, she always wore a veil. Taking off the veil and showing her true face was the greatest respect for the Duke of Dingguo's Mansion.

First, the Duke Dingguo's Mansion had a woman like Wen Xi who was beautiful and heroic, and then there was Qiao Lili who was dignified, graceful, and stunningly beautiful. Logically, he should be immune to the beauty of women.

However, the beauty of Concubine Yun is different from all of them. Her beauty is ethereal and graceful, not tainted by the mundane world, as if she could ascend to heaven at any time. If someone asks what the fairy in the moon looks like, everyone present will think of Concubine Yun. Her every frown and smile is a charity to the world, emitting a halo, and will bring good luck and blessings to those who see her.

In front of the Imperial Concubine, people just want to worship her and tell her their wishes.

Chuntao and Xiahe served tea and snacks, and the conversation began to get down to business.

"Madam, thanks to A-li's mother's kindness, she chose my good-for-nothing boy for A-li six years ago. But due to some evildoers, good things come to those who wait. My son found A-li a few days ago. So, I quickly asked the Imperial Observatory to calculate a good day and came to propose marriage."

This was done in front of both parties and the official media, completely kicking out the Bai family. From now on, there will be no more rumors that Qiao Lili had been engaged to Bai Junzhe and then broke off the engagement. This afternoon, in teahouses, restaurants and taverns throughout the capital, there will be rumors that the Bai family stole the engagement letter and fabricated an engagement to deceive the Duke's wife while she was dying.

Calling a deer a horse, three people make a tiger. Moreover, there is Concubine Yun's endorsement. Who is Concubine Yun? She is a fairy whom even the emperor does not even look at. How could she lie about such a thing?

"Azhu, present the gift list." Concubine Yun looked at the old Duke's wife with a smile, "I know that Duke Ding's Mansion has everything, but this is also our sincerity, isn't it?"

These gifts were all selected by Concubine Yun herself. The palace maids came in one after another. First, a set of silver armor was presented, then a set of silver silk soft armor, a peach blossom silver spear, and a set of precious martial arts secrets. As soon as the covers of these gifts were opened, the old Duke's wife showed a puzzled look on her face.

The Imperial Concubine explained hastily: "I don't know if Ali told you that I taught her half of her kung fu. I have prepared these four things for six years. At that time, I wanted to formally accept her as my apprentice. Now we have become a family, closer than a master and apprentice, so this gift must be given to her. Well, this is not a gift for the marriage proposal today. I just gave it to her for convenience." After she finished speaking, there was an embarrassed expression on her face.

The Imperial Concubine actually said that it was just for fun. The Duke of Dingguo's Mansion was a place of great military merit, so how could the old Duke's wife not know the value of these things? Each of these things was priceless, and any of them would cause a bloody fight. The Imperial Concubine just brought them here, and she seemed to be a little disgusted that they didn't match the gifts for the marriage proposal.

The daughter of the Duke of Dingguo's mansion almost became the apprentice of Concubine Yun. She was taught kung fu by her. This was not a lucky marriage. She knew her background well and had already made the decision. The official media's big mouths have another gossip that they are eager to talk about.

"It is really a blessing for Lili to be able to receive the guidance of the Empress. These gifts are too precious. I thank you on behalf of her and her mother." He stood up from his seat and bowed deeply. Regardless of other things, just talking about this silver silk soft armor, wearing it is a treasure that can save your life.

No one present could see clearly how the Imperial Concubine moved. It didn't seem like she was moving fast. She moved gracefully and elegantly, just like dancing, and floated in front of the old Duke's wife. She held her body as she was about to bow, and helped her sit back in her seat.

"Old lady, Ali's mother and I are close friends, and now we're a family. I will come to the Duke Dingguo's Mansion often in the future. Don't you welcome me like this?" Since Concubine Yun entered the door, she didn't even address me as "this concubine", but directly called me "I".

"Okay, I'll listen to your majesty." The old lady of the Duke's heart was both happy and sad at the moment. She was happy that Ali found a mother-in-law who loved her so much, but she was sad that she thought of her daughter-in-law. She liked Ali's mother very much. Although they were mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, they were as close as mother and daughter. Her husband and son were stationed at the border all year round. For so many years, she and her daughter-in-law had depended on each other.

When I see the Imperial Concubine, I think of my daughter-in-law. If she were still alive, it would be great to see Ali get married, and marry the husband of her choice.

You can't cry on a day like this. She held back her tears, picked up the teacup, drank a sip of tea, then pretended to wipe the tea stains from the corners of her mouth and pressed the red corners of her eyes with a handkerchief.

Ah Zhu continued to ask the palace maids to present the gifts for the marriage proposal.

A pair of jade ruyi ornaments, a pair of jade pendants with dragon and phoenix patterns, a pair of night-shining pearls, two hu of oriental pearls, two boxes of rubies, two boxes of sapphires, two pairs of kingfisher headpieces, two pairs of jadeite headpieces, two pairs of red gold headpieces, two pairs of beaded and filigree gold phoenix headpieces, ten pieces of Yunjin, ten pieces of Shujin, ten pieces of Xiangyun yarn, ten pieces of Yueying yarn...

If these gifts were betrothal gifts, they would be very expensive. But they are for the marriage proposal. According to tradition, the marriage proposal is a few baskets of various fruits and snacks, and a pair of wild geese may also be used instead.

Concubine Yun also brought some fruits, all of which were picked from the tribute. The fruits the emperor had eaten in the past few days were the ones she had left over. The emperor even smiled and said that he didn't have to eat them, so he could take them all away.

There must be snacks too. Concubine Yun watched the Imperial Kitchen make them. Any snacks that had a little bit of crumbs, or had bad prints or colors were rejected and sent to the Emperor. When the Emperor heard that Concubine Yun had ordered them to be sent to him, he smiled and ate with relish.

As for wild geese, they are even more necessary. They cannot be missing. Wild geese are loyal birds. Once they form a pair, they stay together for life. They are willing to be lovebirds in the sky. Ordinary people cannot afford to find such birds, so they catch two wild geese to make up the number.

Yu Jingyan spent a whole day catching a pair of swans, which he tied with red flowers and covered with red silk, and carried in a red-painted carved wooden box. Many children gathered to watch along the way.

Yu Jingyan felt that only this pure white and noble swan was worthy of her A-li.