A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Emperor Yuan Cong

Chapter 1260 Gao Yang remarries into the Taiwei family

"Ah Lang, get up quickly."

"It's still early, sleep a little longer."

It was light outside, and it was still early, but Fan Xuanfu still pushed her husband up and whispered in his ear, "The princess is here to say hello."

Check on your parents every morning and evening.

Wu Huaiyu was stunned for a moment, then sat up and looked at the sky outside. It was indeed still very early.

After Princess Lanling entered the palace, she was very polite. She would help her parents-in-law go to bed at night and come to greet them in the morning.

This was the first time for him and Xuanfu to become parents-in-law, so they were a little uncomfortable with it.

"Get up quickly and don't keep the princess waiting."

The couple got up quickly and came out after a while. The princess was still standing in the yard, and Chengsi was standing beside her with a happy smile on his face.

"The bride greets her aunt and uncle."

The princess bowed.

"No need for formalities, bride. Our family doesn't have so many rules. From now on, you can skip the morning and evening visits. You are newlyweds. You must not have slept well in the Qinglu last night. Hurry up and have some breakfast and go back to sleep."

Chengsi was beside him, pleading for his daughter-in-law.

"My wife got up early in the morning and cooked millet soup."

According to the custom of the Tang people, the day after a girl gets married, her family will make millet stew. That is, on the second day of the wedding, the girl will cook yellow rice and meat soup herself. Millet stew is a traditional food in Guanzhong and it was a delicacy for entertaining guests during the New Year in the Qin Dynasty.

When a new bride enters the house, she has to worship the kitchen god. In ordinary families, the new bride also has to worship the wooden peg used to raise pigs.

Princess Lanling got up early in the morning and worked in the kitchen for a long time. She personally made this yellow rice and meat soup for her parents-in-law. Because she didn't know how her aunt and uncle would like it, she specially asked Chengsi to try it.

Wu Huaiyu saw that the princess had done her hair up like a woman, put on light makeup, and was dressed rather simply, without any jewelry or gold or silver.
I can cook breakfast myself and visit my parents every morning and evening.

Quite touching.

This is a golden branch and jade leaf, the daughter of the emperor. In later generations, girls would be pampered after getting married. How could she greet her parents-in-law and make breakfast for them right after she got married? It would be good enough if she didn't wait in the house for her mother-in-law to prepare and send the breakfast to her.

"Aye, eat it quickly before it gets cold."

Chengsi said beside him,

This kid is now the fifth-rank magistrate of Luoyang County. It is said that he is very capable and dignified in his work over there. But now he is so doting on his wife.

Wu Huaiyu ate millet porridge with Xuanfu.

This meat soup made of sorghum and meat tastes very good. The sorghum is soft and glutinous, and the meat is very tender. It is very satisfying to have a bowl of it on this early summer morning.

The princess insisted on standing by and waiting for her parents-in-law to finish their meal.

Wu Huaiyu said, "After you return home in three days, you can move to Yankangfang." As he spoke, he took out a booklet that recorded many mansions, estates, money, etc., worth millions of strings of cash.

"Princess, keep these and use them for your family's daily expenses."

The laws of the Tang Dynasty stipulated that one could not divide the family property while the parents were still alive; otherwise, it would be illegal and the offender would be severely punished.

But there is one thing that is allowed, that is, parents divide the family property in advance and set up a new household without dividing the household registration. As long as the household registration is not divided, it is not considered a division of the family.

Even if the family property is divided, it is only a preliminary division of the family assets.

But in reality, it is equivalent to dividing the family.
The advantage of doing this is that it avoids problems such as sons fighting over the property in case the parents are no longer around.

Divide them in advance so that there will be fewer conflicts in life.

The huge amount of property and money that Wu Huaiyu gave now was not considered a division of the family. Part of it was originally allocated to Dalang. Now it was given to the princess as a gift to their small family.

Wu Huaiyu is a time traveler after all, and he doesn't have so many patriarchal ideas. He also understands that young people want to have their own little world after marriage and want less interference and disturbance.

So he took the initiative to let them live in the princess's house in Yankangfang. Of course, he also arranged houses, villas and manors in the suburbs of the city for Chengsi. Although he was the princess's husband, he could not really be treated like a son-in-law.

"Uncle, aunt, the bride has discussed with Dalang and decided to live here. It will be convenient for her to visit you every morning and evening and serve you."

This was unexpected again.

He originally thought that the princess was of noble status, and even if she was polite to her parents-in-law, she would definitely want to live comfortably on her own. Unexpectedly, the princess was even better than he thought.

This is quite similar to Princess Xiangcheng's filial piety.

Princess Xiangcheng is the elder sister of Princess Lanling and the eldest daughter of Li Shimin. She married Xiao Rui, the eldest son of Prime Minister Xiao Yu. According to the previous custom, after getting married, a princess would not live in her husband's house, but in her own mansion. However, Princess Xiangcheng told the emperor that after getting married, a daughter-in-law should treat her parents-in-law the same way as her own parents, serving them morning and night. If they did not live together, the etiquette of visiting them morning and evening would be missing.

Li Shimin was very pleased to hear this and approved it. Later, he repeatedly issued edicts to other princesses, asking them to learn from their elder sister Princess Xiangcheng.

Since the princess is so virtuous, how could Wu Huaiyu let them move out again?

However, the princess was still allowed to accept the land, houses, shops and money.

The princess refused to accept it. Her dowry was very luxurious. Not only did the emperor prepare a generous dowry for her, but her mother's family, the Yang family of Hongnong, also added a lot of dowry. Even her step-uncle Changsun Wuji and her great-uncle Gao Shilian specially added some dowry.

Wu Huaiyu not only gave the princess a generous betrothal gift, but also included a dowry in the gift.

Of course, all these emperors were brought back to the princess.

According to Tang Dynasty laws, these dowries were the princess's private property.

In addition, the princess also has a real fief of 600 households. Assuming there are three adult men in a household now, all the rent and taxes will go to the fiefdom, which would amount to 3,600 shi of millet, 2,700 pieces of silk, and 5,400 taels of cotton a year.

The princess is very rich, but this was given by her elders.

"You should go and have some rest too." Three days later, the princess returned home. The Tang people also called it the day of the son-in-law's visit to the palace. The father-in-law would set up a banquet for the return of the princess and invite all the relatives and friends. According to the old custom of the Northern Dynasties, it was a big challenge for the son-in-law to accompany his wife to her parents' home, because the relatives and friends who attended the banquet on that day would each hold a stick to beat the son-in-law.

Beat him as soon as he enters the door.

It is said that many new sons-in-law were beaten and some were even beaten to death accidentally. Wu Huaiyu felt that this might be a warning from the father-in-law to the son-in-law, warning him that there are people in his daughter's family, and if he does not treat his daughter well, then the family will not just pretend to beat him, but will really pick up sticks and beat the bastard son-in-law.

Chengsi dressed up and was very happy.

This boy has been cheerful these three days. It can be seen that he really likes his daughter-in-law. The princess also insists on visiting her every morning and evening, and even makes breakfast for her parents-in-law every morning.
The princess is a good cook. For breakfast on these three days, the first day had millet and meat soup, the second day had roasted mutton stewed in Gulouzi, and the third day had boiled glutinous rice noodles.

"Boy, are you ready to go back home and get beaten?" Wu Huaiyu asked his son with a smile.

承嗣嘿嘿傻笑，这家伙红光满面，还沉浸在新婚的幸福之中，“丈人肯定不会揍我，我极爱公主，不会委屈她。”

The princess beside her blushed.

Wu Huaiyu patted his son's shoulder and said, "Father, let me teach you. When you see His Majesty later, don't call him father-in-law. Call him Taishan."

"Tarzan?"

The title of father-in-law comes from the Analects of Confucius, but the titles of Taishan and father-in-law have not appeared yet. According to textual research, they appeared during the reign of Emperor Longji of the Tang Dynasty, when Prime Minister Zhang Shuo was the envoy of Fengshan, and he took his son-in-law with him for personal gain, because those who were fortunate enough to follow the emperor to Fengshan would be promoted one level when they returned.

Zhang Shuo's son-in-law was of low rank and originally not qualified to participate, but Zhang Shuo promoted him four levels and allowed him to accompany the emperor. However, the matter was later reported to the emperor. When the emperor asked about it, Zhang Shuo could not explain it. Someone nearby ridiculed him and said that it was the power of Mount Tai.

Later, this story spread, and people started to call their father-in-law "Taishan" and their mother-in-law "Taishui".

Because Mount Tai is the first of the Five Great Mountains, they are also called father-in-law and mother-in-law.

Wu Huaiyu certainly couldn't bring up this historical allusion that hadn't happened, so he said, "Your Majesty's achievements are to be conferred upon Mount Tai, the first of the Five Sacred Mountains, so you can privately call Your Majesty Mount Tai, or Father-in-law."

Wu Huaiyu also entered the palace.
The couple were invited by Li Shimin to attend the Huimen banquet.

The return party was very lively.

When Chengsi met his father-in-law and mother-in-law, he was beaten with sticks by a group of royal relatives. Of course, no one was really beaten, it was just a traditional custom, and everyone was symbolically beaten with sticks.

Li Shimin asked his daughter and son-in-law for a long time with concern, and was very pleased to see that the new couple was very affectionate.

When the banquet began, Li Shimin pulled Huaiyu and couldn't help but drink a few more glasses.

"How many of your sons are engaged now?" the emperor suddenly asked.

So Huaiyu told the emperor that the second son Chengye was engaged to the daughter of Changsun Guojiu. The third son Chengzhi was engaged to the daughter of Xu Jingzong. The fourth son Chengping was engaged to the daughter of Lu Chengqing. The fifth son Chengyou was engaged to the daughter of Yuwen Shiji, the sixth son Chengan was engaged to the daughter of Huaiyang Wang Li Daoming, and the seventh son Chengzong was engaged to the daughter of Cheng Chumo.

From the eighth to the thirteenth year, none of them are engaged yet.

The 14th son born to Lu Sanshiwu Niang was engaged to the granddaughter of Li Xuandao of Zhaojun Li clan, while the 15th son born to Yang Muyun was engaged to the daughter of Cui Chengfu of Boling Cui clan.

Eighteenth son Chengying was engaged to the daughter of Wang Chengyou from the Wang family of Taiyuan, and nineteenth son was engaged to the daughter of Xian Zhichen from Hainan.

Li Shimin actually knew all of this a long time ago.

Wu Huaiyu has more than twenty sons. Dalang has just married a princess, and ten others are engaged, including his other two legitimate sons.

There are still a dozen or so people who are not engaged.

"How old is your Hachiro this year?"

"Fifteen."

"Huaiyu, your Balang is not yet engaged, but I do have a marriage proposal."

Wu Huaiyu had a bad feeling.

As expected, the emperor continued, "Princess Seventeen is also fifteen this year, and is about the same age as your Eighth Prince. Why don't we strengthen our relationship and marry our daughters. Your Eighth Prince will marry my Seventeenth Lady."

Wu Huaiyu felt uneasy.

"Is the seventeenth princess Princess Gaoyang?"

Li Shimin had many children, but several of them died young, so there are sometimes several ways to rank the princes and princesses.

But generally speaking, the seventeenth princess refers to Princess Gaoyang, and the nineteenth princess refers to Princess Lanling.

"Yes, it's Princess Gaoyang. My daughter has a miserable life. Her mother was a concubine. After giving birth to her, she died of illness before she was weaned. I carefully selected her and finally chose Xuanling's second son Yiai as a son-in-law. He got married last year, but this year Fang Er was involved in a major treason case. I couldn't bear to execute him, so I exiled him to Suiye.

But I can't let Gao Yang suffer, so I have to let them divorce."

"Gao Yang has been married to the Fang family for less than half a year and has no children. She is now depressed all day long, and I am also very upset. I have met your Balang a few times and he is quite good."

Wu Huaiyu's heart was in turmoil.

The eighth son Wu Chengyuan was born to his concubine Cao Shisanniang. His mother's family, the Cao family, was one of the six great families in Lingzhou.

Although he was born to a concubine, Wu Huaiyu treated his sons very well and gave him a share of the family property early on. His share of the family property was in Lingwu, Shuofang. The tea-horse trade, fur processing, salt and grain trafficking and other industries were also a considerable family business.

He is fifteen years old now and is still studying in the Imperial College.

If the emperor was talking about other princesses, such as the seventh princess Princess Baling who married Chai Lingwu, or the sixteenth princess Princess Chengyang who married Du He, then Wu Huaiyu might have agreed.

The eighth prince is a bastard, but he can marry a princess, even if she is a remarried princess. That is a sign of the emperor's appreciation. With the identity of the emperor's son-in-law in the future, he will definitely not have to worry about his future.

But Princess Gaoyang,
Wu Huaiyu had actually refused in his heart because the princess had such a bad reputation.

It was he who destroyed the old Fang family. If Fang Xuanling knew about this, he would not be able to hold his coffin down.

Wu Huaiyu looked at the emperor, not knowing how to refuse without hurting his face.

If it is something I absolutely cannot have, how can I refuse it?
(End of this chapter)