serious man in the red chamber

Chapter 370 The Big Wedding
The sound of drums and firecrackers came from Ningrong Street.

Outside the West Street Gate, Su Kun's troupe was singing a concert, and the crowd was full of people watching the excitement.

Ningrong Street is decorated with red and green lights, and there are so many guests.

The flowing water table was full of people, all from nearby neighborhoods.

Jia Rong changed into festive clothes and worked tirelessly during the banquet: "Neighbors, please have a few more drinks. There is no fruit plate here, bring the fruit plate!" Then he turned to the steward and shouted: "Give it to each of these children. A red envelope and some fruits for them to eat."

Lin Zhixiao came over and said to Jia Rong, "Sir, the prince has asked you to come in and entertain the guests."

Jia Rong: "Oh?" He hurriedly walked towards the house.

In front of the mansion, the chief steward Lai Sheng hurriedly announced in a loud voice:

"Congratulations to Mr. Li, the right deputy of the Metropolitan Procuratorate"

"Shaanxi Commander-in-Chief Yun has arrived to congratulate you."

The living room was filled with officials who came to congratulate him, and the servants shuttled around bringing tea and water. In the end, there was no room for a plate of snacks and fruit.

Jia Hu was currently looking through copies of military reports in the outer study.

Niu Jizong sat under the window and drank tea silently, glancing at Jia Hu from time to time.

Jia Hu finished reading the military report, closed it gently, and thought about it carefully.

Putting down the tea bowl, Niu Jizong looked at Jia Hu: "Li Chengyang is too impatient. These generals of the Southern Xinjiang Army deserve to die, but they killed a deputy general and three generals without asking for orders. These people have just made great achievements. Besides, Southern Xinjiang The military is inherently frightened, and you should be able to imagine what will happen if someone takes the opportunity to stir up trouble."

Hearing this, Jia Hu smiled bitterly. After winning the first battle in southern Xinjiang, Li Chengyang was not dazzled by the victory, nor did he underestimate the Annan people because of it. He rested near Lin'an for two days.

However, precisely because the two days of rest gave the Annan people time to breathe and also caused the battlefield situation to change, Li Chengyang had no idea that the Xiyi people had participated in the war.

On the 21st, under the command of Li Chengyang, with three battalions of the Southern Xinjiang Army as the vanguard and two towns of the Liaodong Army as the main force, the first counterattack of the government and army soon began. Within an hour, an army of more than [-] people composed of Annan and southern Xinjiang civilians was annihilated. In this battle, the southern Xinjiang army fought bravely and made great achievements.

However, the Southern Xinjiang Army succeeded and the Southern Xinjiang Army failed.

When they learned from the captured Annan general that the old Nan'an County King was imprisoned at the foot of the mountain fifty miles away from them, the Southern Xinjiang army, unwilling to give up the opportunity to rescue the old Nan'an County King, pressed southward and ignored them at all. Li Chengyang's military order.

In this way, three battalions with nearly [-] people ran into the trap set by the Annan and Xiyi people. Although the southern Xinjiang army was fierce in combat, it was ultimately unable to defeat the enemy who was prepared in advance and could not break through the ambush set by the opponent. lock up.

Fortunately, Li Chengyang came to the rescue in time, and the elite firearms battalion of the Liaodong Army quickly surrounded and cut off the Xiyi people who blocked the mountain pass. Only then did the remnants of the Southern Xinjiang Army escape.

However, this was only the beginning. The civilians on the frontier had already lurked behind the official army through the mountain trails. For fifty miles, there were pursuers behind and ambushes in front. Fortunately, the civilians were not strong in combat. This also made Liaodong The army sacrificed nearly [-] lives.

Li Chengyang, who retreated to the rear, directly executed the deputy generals and staff generals who did not respect his military orders.

Niu Jizong was right, Li Chengyang was too impatient. Southern Xinjiang is not the Central Plains, and operations must rely on the Southern Xinjiang army who are familiar with the local terrain.

Niu Jizong stood up, paced, and continued: "You also know that the current situation is like a fog, so I asked you to kick Niu Ben out of the Yongwei camp and keep him away from the whirlpool of the court!"

Having said this, he turned around and said, "Did you discover something? You are so eager to sever ties with the Nan'an County King!"

Jia Hu sneered: "It's them who are alienating the Jia family and want to sever ties with the Jia family. I'm just following the trend." After that, he told the story in general.

Niu Jizong was stunned for a moment, then approached him and whispered: "I also obeyed the decree, otherwise I wouldn't bother you on your happy day."

Jia Hu's spirit perked up. No wonder he was willing to transfer Niu Ben out of the Yongwei camp. It turned out that he was climbing the emperor's high branch.

Niu Jizong: "Your Majesty's intention is to write a letter to Li Chengyang and ask him to put the overall situation first and pacify southern Xinjiang first."

Jia Hu didn't say anything, just looked at him closely, waiting for him to continue.

Niu Jizong cleared his throat and continued: "It is not easy for Your Majesty to talk about such things, whether it is an explicit edict or a secret decree. You probably don't need me to explain the reason behind this, right?"

Jia Hu thought for a while and stood up: "You go and ask for a handwriting, or you write a letter in handwriting and I copy it."

Niu Jizong smiled at Jia Hu: "You are full of evil thoughts. Okay, I'll ask for a handwriting to promise not to let you fall into this. That's all right."

Jia Hu also looked at him with a smile: "Okay, I'm waiting for your good news."

Niu Jizong suddenly sighed and said with emotion: "Now each family has different thoughts, and we will never be able to get together again."

At this moment, Lin San's voice came from outside the door: "Your Majesty, the chief assistant and the others are here."

Jia Hu said to Niu Jizong: "Let's go sit in the hall, it's lively there."

After hearing this, Niu Jizong took out his pocket watch, took a look at it, and said, "It's getting late. You should go to Xifu to get married soon. Let's go." After that, he pushed Jia Hu out.

The drums and music sounded together.

From the main gate, the ceremonial gate, the hall, the inner hall, the three inner gates, the inner ceremonial gate and the inner gate to the main hall, the main entrance is wide open, and red candles as thick as arms are lit under the steps on both sides.

Lanterns and decorations were hung in Mother Jia's courtyard. The maids and ladies all put on festive clothes, and their faces were all filled with smiles.

Jia Mu's main house also has a brocade embroidered screen, which has a completely new look.

The female members of the Jia family are here, and they are sitting around in the side hall, drinking tea and laughing with the female members of the Lin family.

At this time, Lin Daiyu's aunt came out from the inner room and said with a smile: "The bride is still dressing up."

Wang Xifeng smiled and said, "I'll go and see the bride too." As he said that, he held Ping'er's hand into the inner room.

The sisters came here early in the morning and were sitting at the round table eating fruit and laughing.

Lin Daiyu was wearing a bright red tunic and sitting in front of the dressing mirror, with her hair disheveled.

Behind him, Jia Mu, who was wearing a bright red Jifu, was combing Lin Daiyu's hair with the support of Yuanyang, combing her hair very slowly.

On the bed next to her were the gown and phoenix crown of the Princess of Beining County.

Wang Xifeng didn't dare to come forward to disturb her, so she turned around and walked to sit next to Yingchun. She smiled and said, "I heard from your brother yesterday that your good days are coming soon."

Yingchun blushed and hurriedly lowered her head to drink tea.

At this moment, the earth-shattering sound of firecrackers came from outside the house.

Then came the screams of the maid and mother-in-law: "The groom's official is here! The groom's official is here!"

Wang Xifeng reacted and shouted loudly: "Quick, go and block the door!"

Before he could finish his words, he heard roars of laughter from outside, and then a head stuck out, it was Jia Hu.

Wang Xifeng and the girls were all deceived. They had agreed a few days ago that they would take this opportunity to blackmail Jia Hu severely. They would not let him in until they were satisfied.

The bride is not picked up so easily.

The silence only lasted for a moment, and then with an "ah" sound, Xichun jumped up and shouted: "Brother, how can you be so shameless! We are not ready yet. You go out, we will close the courtyard door, and you will Give us a red envelope and say some nice words, and we will open the door for you." As he said this, he walked forward and pushed Jia Hu.

The sisters woke up and stepped forward to stop Jia Hu. Tan Chun and Xiang Yun even walked over to help Xichun push Jia Hu.

Jia Hu stood there motionless like a boulder, looking at Lin Daiyu with a smile.

Lin Daiyu did not look back, she could only see her full head of hair.

Jia Mu put down her comb, turned around slowly, stretched out her hand and said, "Get out."

Jia Hu: "Hey!" He said, knocking Xichun, Tanchun and Xiangyun on the head. Before they could react, he turned around and walked out, "Young traitor!"

"Ah~ I'm fighting with you!"

"Bad brother!"

"You can't be cheap, second brother!"

Amid the condemnation, the girls rushed out, vowing to make Jia Hu pay the price with blood!
Listening to the frolicking outside, Lin Daiyu slowly turned her head, her pretty face with light makeup full of smiles.

Mother Jia's face was also full of smiles. She gently touched Lin Daiyu's head and said, "This child has such a wild temper. It would be nice to have someone take care of him once he gets married."

Lin Daiyu's face turned red, but she still said "Yeah".

Suddenly, the chiming clock in the corner rang. Jia Mu glanced at it and saw that it was the end of the hour.

The word "marriage" can be split into "女" and "hun", among which "hun" refers to the dusk time. People who get married are said to perform rituals at dusk, so it is called marriage.

Therefore, dusk is an auspicious time, and is also called the morning walk to welcome dusk.

He calculated the time silently in his mind. It was almost time, and then he said to Xue Yan standing aside: "Let them all come in."

Xue Yan: "Yes." He answered, turned around and walked out.

After a while, Lin Daiyu's aunts and uncles came in.

These women were carefully selected by the Lin family and required healthy parents, healthy brothers and sisters, harmonious husband and wife, and a full house of children and grandchildren, which meant that Lin Daiyu could have a happy family like them after marriage.

At this time, Mrs. Xing, Mrs. Wang and Li Wan could only stay outside and wait.

Jia Mu took the wooden comb from Yuanyang's hand and combed Lin Daiyu's hair again, while still chanting: "One comb to the end, two combs to the white hair to the eyebrows, three combs to fill the house with descendants."

Lin Daiyu looked in the mirror and saw the tears falling from the corners of Jia Mu's eyes, and her eyes turned red: "Grandma"

Jia Mu came back to her senses, wiped away her tears quickly, and said with a forced smile: "When you get old, you will shed tears if you stare at things for a long time."

The female relatives of the Lin family came over to persuade Jia Mu.

Wang Xifeng chuckled and came over to support Jia Mu: "My ancestors shed tears in vain. Sister Lin was sent away from Jia's house, and then brought back to Jia's house to be your grandson's wife. Later, old lady I still have to go to Dongfu to accept the kneels from my grandson and his wife."

As he said this, he wiped the tears from Jia Mu's eyes with a handkerchief, "A granddaughter and a grandson's wife, our ancestors have made a lot of money!"

After hearing this, Jia Mu and everyone laughed.

Then Lin Daiyu's aunt and aunt were responsible for dressing up Lin Daiyu.

Lin Daiyu's full dress is as complicated as the princess's dress, and it is only worn on the wedding day and major festivals.

The dress of the princess has five layers, including a middle coat, a jacket, a skirt, a double-breasted jacket, and a round-necked deep red dress. The chest and back of the dress are embroidered with Luan and Phoenix cloud patterns, which symbolize good luck and good luck, and are surrounded by With cloud patterns.The waist is tied with a large belt with red thread, and the outer jade belt is decorated with gold and jade ornaments. The outer cover is a red shirt. Two cyan phoenix-patterned Xiapei are hung under the Xiapei. A jade pendant with cloud and dragon pattern is hung under the Xiapei. A phoenix crown is worn on the head, and four gold beads are worn on both ears. Gourd rings, gourd rings mean "good luck", and also mean "descendants, prosperity and good fortune for generations to come".

Lin Daiyu's phoenix crown is also different from that of Jia Mu and others. The phoenix crown of Jia Mu and others is a "phoenix-less" crown. They can only be decorated with beads, hairpins, etc., but not dragons and phoenixes. However, Lin Daiyu's phoenix crown is a real one. In Fengguan, this is the restriction of social class.

On the other side, Jia Hu was blocked by their sisters in the courtyard. Don't let go.

You know, the red envelopes Jia Hu gave them contained six full taels of gold. Each red envelope contained six full taels of gold. This was a huge sum of money.

How could Jia Hu know how to compose poetry? After so many years, those poems have long been returned to his mind.

At this time, a gust of wind blew, and the fallen leaves fell one after another.

Jia Hu's eyes lit up. Didn't that dry boy write a limerick?

Thinking of this, Jia Hu smiled: "Yes, listen carefully!"

Hearing this, the girls all looked at him.

Jia Hu cleared his throat: "One piece after another," as soon as he finished speaking, the girls cheered in unison.

"Two slices, three slices, four or five slices,"

The girls were stunned and looked at Jia Hu without saying a word.

"Six slices, seven slices, eighty-nine slices,"

The girls were all confused and could only continue to look at Jia Hu awkwardly.

"It flies into the flowers and disappears."

As soon as these words came out, the girls cheered and then looked at each other and smiled.

Jia Hu also laughed, and then waved his hand: "Happy money!"

The ladies from Lin Zhixiao's family came over carrying two baskets and handed out red envelopes to the maids one by one. Each red bag contained six silver coins, which was enough for many people for half a year or even a whole year. The monthly payment for a year made them extremely happy. They thanked me and said auspicious words as if they didn't need any money.

After a long commotion, Jia Hu walked in surrounded by their sisters.

The time for welcoming the bride was strictly calculated. It was almost afternoon when the bride arrived home. Since the two mansions were separated by an alley, Jia Hu had to wait here for more than an hour, and the soldiers and drummers who carried the sedan also had to wait. After eating, we will expect them to parade through the streets later.

Inside the west corner gate of Rongguo Mansion, carriages filled with red boxes and cages of various sizes were lined up in the West Road courtyard.

The horse's head was tied with red satin.

A young boy and soldiers escorting the dowry had already lined up beside the cart waiting for their orders. They also put on festive new clothes.

From the beginning of noon to the present, a short hour seemed to Jia Hu as if decades had passed. A room full of women was so terrifying!
When he saw the conductor of Lin Zhixiao's family spreading a new scarlet felt from Jia Mu's inner room, Jia Hu breathed a sigh of relief. The auspicious moment was coming.

"Crack crackle crackle!"

As expected, the earth-shattering sound of firecrackers soon came from outside the door, followed by the sound of drums.

Jia Hu stood up and walked out. A large sedan chair covered with red silk satin was parked at the end of the new scarlet felt outside the courtyard gate. Eight soldiers with round waists and wide arms stood guard beside the sedan chair.

After a while, firecrackers were set off again outside the courtyard gate, and then the drummers played louder, urging the bride to get on the sedan chair.

At this time, Lin Daiyu's aunt came out with a red umbrella, opened it, and threw a handful of rice into the sky, which meant that after getting married, the branches and leaves would spread.

Then, Lin Daiyu, who was wearing a red hijab, came out with the support of Xue Yan. Xiniang led the way. Jia Mu and the Lin family members wiped away their tears and sent Lin Daiyu to the sedan chair.

"Get up!"

The master of ceremonies gave a long shout, and the drum band blew the trumpets with all their strength. The sedan chair was slowly lifted up, and surrounded by everyone, it walked toward the gate of Rongguo Mansion. At the gate, several people had been prepared. After the wedding procession left, the Ming Lin family spilled the water in the copper basin.

The west corner gate opened with a click, horse whips were waved, and carts drove out of Rongguo Mansion.

The next step is the wedding parade, which is the longest part of the wedding. After the wedding team comes out of the gate of Rongguo Mansion, they walk west along Ningrong Street, enter the back street of Jiajia, and circle around Ningrong and Rong Mansion. One lap, and then back to Beining County Prince's Mansion.

Because there were too many people joining in the fun, the Infantry Army Yamen sent hundreds more officers and soldiers to maintain order. From outside the west gate of Ningrong Street, both sides were densely packed with officers and soldiers armed with guns and knives.

The perimeter of the cordon was already full of ordinary people waiting to watch.

There were endless sounds of firecrackers and drums along the way. Lin Zhixiao led the servants in the house and followed the team and scattered large amounts of copper coins with red paper on both sides of the street, causing a large group of children to fight for them. It was very lively.

Back at the Beining County Prince's Mansion, the sun was already heading west.

The first carriage transporting the dowry here has already entered, and one by one there is still driving out of Rongguo Mansion.

At this time, the middle door of the palace opened wide, and a scarlet carpet led directly into the middle door.

"Drop the sedan!"

The emcee shouted loudly, and eight soldiers landed the sedan firmly in front of the red carpet.

There is another step before the bride gets off the sedan chair, shooting arrows.

Archery is one of the six arts of a gentleman, originating from the Zhou Dynasty. Archery represents the groom's bravery and his ability to protect the bride.

Jia Hu walked to and stood in front of the middle gate, took the bow and arrow from Lin San's hand, and shot three arrows toward the sky, the ground, and the sedan chair, which represented praying to the sky, eternal life, and happiness respectively.

Secondly, these three arrows are also used to drive away the evil spirits that the bride may have acquired on the way to the wedding.Of course, the arrows used had their clusters removed and would not hurt anyone.

"The newcomer gets off the sedan chair!"

The curtain of the sedan chair was opened, and Xue Yan helped Lin Daiyu out. At this time, 24 female officials in palace clothes came over with twelve pairs of palace lanterns to guide the way. When they were approaching the middle gate, the two groups of female officials stopped, and Xue Yan helped Lin Daiyu out. Lin Daiyu walked slowly towards the middle door on the red carpet.

It stands to reason that Mrs. You should have helped Lin Daiyu enter the gate of Beining County Prince's Mansion. Unfortunately, she was a widow, so she had no choice but to work around it and Jia Hu went into battle himself.

Outside the middle gate, Jia Hu took the other end of the concentric knot handed over by Xue Yan, and then took Lin Daiyu's arm: "Slow down, be careful where you step." He helped her into the gate of Beining County Prince's Mansion.

Outside the ceremony gate, a brazier and a saddle have been prepared, symbolizing prosperity and peace.

The sun has gone down.

At this moment, the hall of Ning'an Hall was full of people. In addition to those on duty, there were cabinet bachelors and officials from the Six Ministries and Jiuqing Hall, as well as some princes and nobles, and the others were from the Jia and Lin families.

Jia Mu sat at the head of the table, Jia Jing sat on the chair on the left, and Lin Ruhai sat on the chair on the right. The three of them didn't know what they were talking about, and Jia Mu's face was full of smiles.

Suddenly, there was the sound of gongs, drums and firecrackers outside the door.

Everyone understood that the newcomer was here, and everyone present stood up to greet them except for Jia Mu and the three parents of the two families.

"The newcomer has arrived!"

Following the emcee's shout, Jia Hu walked in with Lin Daiyu on his arm.

Today's officiant is Jia Daixiu, and the witness is Lin Ruhai's former master.

The old man tremblingly said some blessings, and then he was helped to sit down and rest.

"It's an auspicious time for the newlyweds to pay their respects to heaven and earth." Jia Daixiu shouted loudly.

The maid had already laid out the kneeling mat, and the two of them turned around and knelt down on the mat together, bowing to the sky outside the hall.

"Two thanks to the high hall!"

Turning around, he knelt down and bowed to Jia Mu, Jia Jing and Lin Ruhai who were sitting at the top, and thanked them for their upbringing.

"Bye husband and wife!"

Then, the two people faced each other and deeply touched each other's heads. After the worship, Lin Daiyu's two aunts came over and entangled the strands of hair they had cut off each other with each other, and placed them in a small box as a token of their eternal alliance. It was handed into Lin Daiyu's hands, symbolizing that they were a married couple.

"Licheng!"

Jia Daixiu shouted loudly: "The bride is sent to the bridal chamber!"

The sound of firecrackers and drums sounded again, Lin Daiyu was supported by Xue Yan and walked to the backyard of Ning'an Hall, while Jia Hu wanted to stay with the guests.

When people reach a certain status, they will avoid a lot of troubles. Although it was a happy day, few people really dared to drink from Jia Hu. Only Yang Dayong and Jia Lian argued and made Jia Hu drink two more glasses.

The night is already deep.

Grandma Wang turned sideways and stretched out her arms, holding the lantern on the right side in front of Jia Hu. Although Jia Hu was walking at a leisurely pace, her steps were long and fast.

In the blink of an eye, we arrived at the backyard.

Jia Hu stood outside the door for a moment, then opened the door and walked in.

"The second master is back."

Hearing the sound, Xue Yan walked out from inside.

Jia Hu nodded with a smile and walked straight into the inner room.

In the bedroom, Lin Daiyu was sitting on the edge of the bed wearing a red hijab. Perhaps because of nervousness, listening to the footsteps getting closer, her two small hands slowly clenched into fists.

Jia Hu saw it, smiled slightly, picked up the scale on the dressing table and picked up the red hijab on Lin Daiyu's head, and said with a smile: "Sister Lin."

Lin Daiyu lowered her head and said "hmm" like a kitten.

Jia Hu smiled: "You are tired, I will help you take off the phoenix crown." After saying that, he was ready to pick up the phoenix crown.

Xue Yan hurriedly shouted: "Wait a minute, I haven't had a glass of wine yet." After saying that, he quickly brought the prepared hot wine.

The glasses for drinking wine are also connected together with a red thread.

Drinking a cup of wine means that the wedding has been completed, that is, they are a real couple from now on.

Jia Hu helped Lin Daiyu take off the phoenix crown and hairpin, and her long hair immediately fell down.

At this time, Xue Yan brought a plate of cakes over and said to Jia Hu, "Young lady hasn't had dinner yet."

Jia Hu was startled, turned around and walked out.

Jia Hu had eaten and drank enough, but Lin Daiyu and Xue Yan still had empty stomachs.Fortunately, there are cooks on duty in the small kitchen of the house twelve hours a day, so whether it is a formal meal or a casual snack, everything can be prepared.

In the blink of an eye, exquisite meals were placed on the small dining table, including hot and cold dishes of four meat and four vegetables, a large bowl of fragrant white rice porridge, and two drawers of steaming steamed buns.

Jia Hu sat aside and looked at the imageless master and servant who were devouring their food. He felt a little pain in his heart. He filled another half bowl of porridge for Lin Daiyu and said softly: "Eat slowly, don't choke!"

Xue Yan said while eating steamed buns: "The girl drank half a bowl of ginseng soup before getting on the sedan chair, and now she doesn't even dare to take a few sips of water."

Lin Daiyu blushed, but said nothing.

Jia Hu glanced at the dress she was wearing, stood up and took off her own dress, then came over to help her take off her coat and Xia Pei, sat down and watched her eat quietly.

After finishing the fourth bun, Lin Daiyu stopped eating and put down her chopsticks.

Seeing this, Xue Yan also put down her chopsticks, called her mother-in-law to come in and clear the table, and then directed the maid to bring hot water to help Jia Hu and Lin Daiyu wash up.

After washing, Jia Hu waved his hand and all the maids except Xue Yan retreated.

Jia Hu looked at her: "You can go down too."

Xue Yan's face turned red: "I, I want to help the girl undress."

Jia Hu smiled: "Don't worry about it now, just go down."

Xue Yan looked at Jia Hu, then at her own girl, hesitated for a moment, and walked out. Suddenly she remembered, and stuck her head in again, saying to Lin Daiyu, "Girl, put Bai Xipa under the pillow."

Lin Daiyu's face turned red.

Jia Hu said angrily: "Why are you so verbose!" Then he turned to Lin Daiyu and said, "It's late at night, please rest."

Lin Daiyu closed her eyes: "Yeah."

Jia Hu was happy, picked up Lin Daiyu, and walked to the bed.

(End of this chapter)