Ji Han Da Sima

Chapter 29: Extreme joy leads to sadness
The wedding is also a dusk ceremony, that is, at dusk, when the yin and yang are harmonious, the two surnames are married.

Weddings made in the Zhou Dynasty, with no betrothal and no banquet, emphasis on the love between husband and wife, eating and drinking together, and getting married together.And because the girl was marrying far away, her parents were sad, so the wedding was not celebrated.

Weddings in Qin and Han Dynasties inherited the Zhou system, but also developed.It was passed down to Emperor Xiaoxuan of the Western Han Dynasty, and the imperial edict said: "The marriage ceremony of a husband is the greatest human relationship. The gathering of wine and food, so it is a ritual and a joy. ..." Therefore, banquets began to appear, and in wealthy families, the banquets became more and more grand.

At dusk, Jingzhou officials are crowded with people, and drums and music are playing on both sides of the banquet. It can be said that there is a bustling crowd, as if entering the market.This banquet gathered almost all the high-level officials in Jingzhou, as well as nobles and celebrities.

After getting off the bullock cart, Huo Jun carried a gift box containing dates, longans and other items to the waiter, and reported his name.

In the Han Dynasty, people began to show their wealth, but most of them gave gifts to the newlyweds. The gifts were light on affection but not on ostentation.When there was emphasis on family members' money, Zhu Yuanzhang of the Ming Dynasty posted the "Education List Articles" requesting that at the wedding, each family must pay family members' money.

Under the guidance of the waiter, Huo Jun entered the banquet for the first time.His position was in the middle position of the banquet, which was consistent with his status in Jingzhou. There were also familiar people around him, such as Yi Ji, Fu Xun, Kuai Qi and other old faces in the governor's mansion.Of course, there are also people I don’t know, mostly local scholars in Xiangyang.

Yi Ji came over and said in admiration: "Zhong Miao, I have never seen this wedding scene in my life. It is really amazing."

As a marriage between two top families in Jingzhou, the extravagance of today's wedding far exceeds everyone's imagination. The most amazing thing is the layout of the wedding scene, with Sichuan brocade as the tent, embroidered with Chinese patterns, black as the main color, and gilded as decoration. The red carpet covers the floor and the walls are decorated with pearls and emeralds. It is so beautiful that it makes people gasp in admiration.

Huo Jun looked at the festive banquet and said meaningfully: "Too much is not enough. Happiness breeds sorrow, and sorrow breeds joy."

Hearing this, Yi Ji was very confused. How could the wedding banquet be related to sorrow?
At this time, Liu Bei and Liu Qi entered the banquet side by side, chatting and laughing happily, and their relationship was very harmonious.As the two were walking, the guests at the banquet stood up to salute and greet the two.However, when passing by Huo Jun, the three of them smiled knowingly, and Liu Bei secretly made a gesture to Huo Jun.

The groom has not arrived yet, and the guests are chatting with each other.

After a while, Xu Shu led the eight-foot-tall, handsome man to Huo Jun.

"Brother Yuanzhi!"

"Zhong Miao!"

The young man bowed and saluted and said, "I am Zhuge Liang, courtesy name Kongming. I am from Langya County. I have met Huo Canjun."

"I've seen Kong Ming!"

When saying hello, the two of them were looking at each other.Compared with the heroic Huo Jun, Zhuge Liang has a refined air, mixed with a sense of youthfulness.

When Zhuge Liang first met, he had a good impression of Huo Jun, the person in charge of ritual expression.

Xu Shu hugged Zhuge Liang's arm and said with a smile: "Zhongmiao, Kong Ming is the noble son-in-law of Duke Chengyan. He is a hero in Jingzhou and a disciple of hundreds of schools of thought. He is expert in everything and knows everything. He can be a famous scholar. Mr. Shui Jing once praised him as ' Wolong'."

"Yuan Zhi Miao Zan, he is no more outstanding than a humble talent, he is a farmer in Longzhong!" Zhuge Liang said modestly.

Regarding the famous Zhuge Liang, Huo Jun looked natural and said with a smile: "The world is in chaos, whether you are a farmer in the morning or a minister in the evening, you can't know."

After chatting for a few more words, Zhuge Liang left and walked to his brother-in-law Kuai Qi.

After Zhuge Liang left, Huo Jun took Xu Shu's arm and asked in a low voice: "Does Kong Ming know what we are planning?"

Xu Shu shook his head and said, "It's a matter of confidentiality, so I don't dare to say more."

"What about Jiangdong?" Huo Jun asked.

Xu Shu looked troubled and said hesitantly: "A month ago, Kong Ming said that it was difficult for Duke Xuande to recover, and he might be dormant in Xinye. When the concubine was drunk, he secretly revealed the affairs of Jiangdong. Please rest assured, Zhong Miao, although Kong Ming is a Xiangyang scholar. He is not a friend of Cai Mao and Kuai Yue, but because of the incident in Xuzhou, he admires Duke Xuande."

The incident in Xuzhou refers to the incident where Cao Cao massacred the people of Xuzhou and Liu Bei led his army to rescue them.

Huo Jun stared at Zhuge Liang's back and sighed: "I hope the banquet can be held today."

Huo Jun believed Zhuge Liang's position.After all, Liu Bei's situation in history was not better than this, and Cao Cao was about to go south. If Zhuge Liang didn't admire Liu Bei, how could he follow Liu Bei.But Huo Jun was afraid that something would go wrong and Xia Jiangdong would fall short.

"The groom has arrived!" More than a dozen attendants shouted.

Everyone who was talking at the banquet went back to their seats. Huo Jun also separated from Xu Shu and sat back in his seat.

Along with the playing of ritual music, the master of ceremonies presided over the wedding announced the start of the wedding.

The bride and groom enter together, the maids on both sides clear the way, the bride covers her face with a fan, and the groom wears a black dress and wears a crown.In the Han Dynasty, the bride only needed to fan herself, and there was no need to wear a red hijab.

Under the auspices of the master of ceremonies, the bridegroom and the bride perform a washing ceremony and clean their hands to show their purity.They also performed the courtesy of three invitations and three concessions, and then performed the courtesy of Tonglao and Hexin.

Huo Jun, who was watching the ceremony from his seat, was very engaged and applauded with all the guests.

When the ceremony was completed and he left the stage, Huo Jun also blessed everyone in unison and said: "I wish you a good marriage forever."

After saying that, Huo Jun sighed to Yi Ji beside him: "The bride is really a beauty, what a pity...?"

Yi Ji was sulking around drinking. He was already used to Huo Jun's incomprehensible words.Asked him why, Huo Jun smiled and said nothing. When he said it, he knew that he was really annoying.

"Yanqi!"

"Serve!"

Following the instructions, the maids served the dishes one after another with plates, and the cooks also began to sharpen their knives for cooking.

On the main seat, Liu Miao showed off with a smile on his face and said: "Xuande, you must eat more fish and crabs today."

"Oh!" Liu Bei asked: "Is there a mystery in this fish?"

Liu Biao laughed heartily and said, "There is a crucian carp in the kitchen. It is golden in color and nearly three feet long. It is a treasure. If Xuande had not made good friends with me, I would not be able to part with you."

Liu Bei looked surprised and said: "Bei lives in the north. I rarely see this fish. I wonder if I can bring it out so that I can feast my eyes on it."

"Good talk!"

In the back kitchen, the chef shouted: "Kill the fish, make the fish meat, and prepare the mustard sauce."

Raw fish with fine flesh is called fish breast, that is, sashimi.In spring and summer, use onion sauce, and in autumn and winter, use mustard sauce.

"promise!"

The cooks are busy slaughtering crucian carp and making it into sashimi.The chef, who was big and round, shouted: "Ming Gong wants to see the arowana, please bring the arowana."

A nearly three-foot-long golden crucian carp was swimming in the bucket. This was the top-quality crucian carp he bought from the fisherman today, specially to make his specialty fish meat for Liu Biao.

Crucian carp, a freshwater fish, sounds the same as "吉", which means auspiciousness.During the Qin and Han Dynasties, crucian carp was the top-quality fish. In winter, the meat of crucian carp was thicker and richer, so crucian carp must be used as a dish at wedding banquets.

At the same time, the reason why crucian carp has golden skin is also very simple.Because the goldfish and crucian carp in later generations are of the same species, in the wild environment, crucian carp is mostly green-brown or gray. With various mutations, there are fewer golden-colored crucian carp, but it does not mean that there are none.

After a while, the goldfish was served to the chef.

Liu Bei looked at the goldfish swimming in the water and sighed: "It's really the best. It's a blessing to be able to eat this fish."

After watching it, the chef took the arowana back to the kitchen and began to skillfully kill the fish, hitting the fish head with a knife, then scraping the fish scales in the opposite direction, removing the fishy lines, and removing the gills.

Then a sharp kitchen knife was cut from the back, and then the fish head was split open. When the fish body was suddenly opened, a bunch of blood-stained towels were seen lying in the belly of the fish.

In an instant, the chef's face suddenly turned pale and he muttered: "The water god gave me a book!"

"The water god has given me a book."

The whole kitchen was shaken!

……

In a short time, the attendant rushed into the banquet and handed the fishy smelling towel to Liu Biao.

"My lord, there is a scarf hidden in the belly of the dragon fish."

Liu Biao took the towel and took a look. His face suddenly changed, and then he looked panicked, and his eyes turned black.

"Husband!"

"Ming Gong!"

Seeing Liu Biao's expression, everyone gathered around.

"A son avenges his father!"

Liu Qi glanced at the content above and shouted.

Liu Bei was extremely shocked. He used his traditional skills and accidentally dropped the chopsticks in his hand to the ground. He said in horror: "The water god gives the book, which is either a blessing or a disaster."

Mrs. Cai, who was wearing heavy makeup, looked at the bloody scarf and shouted hysterically: "What's going on?"

Even when Kuai Yue heard the words "son avenges his father", his expression changed drastically.

The top is in chaos!
In an instant, the news of 'the book given by the Water God' spread throughout the banquet, and the guests began to whisper and think of the nursery rhyme that had been circulating in Xiangyang City a few days ago.

Huo Jun sighed as he listened to the chaotic surroundings, picked up his chopsticks, and ate the dishes and tasted the wine with peace of mind.

I have to say that the dishes at the banquet tasted very good. It would be the most beautiful thing if it were paired with a quiet wedding instead of this noisy crowd.

Yi Ji's eyes widened and he turned to look at Huo Jun, who was concentrating on eating fish. He swallowed and called, "Zhong Miao?"

"what happened?"

Huo Jun turned to look at Yi Ji, showing his white teeth, and smiled: "It would be a shame not to eat such delicious food!"

Yiji felt hot all over, so he took a few sips from the wine cup to calm down.

At this time, Zhuge Liang, who was sitting in a remote corner, stared at Huo Jun, who seemed to be fine, and raised his eyebrows.The reason why he came to the banquet today was not because he guessed Huo Jun's plan, but because he wanted to see what strategies Huo Jun would use.As he said, he came here just to watch the fun.

Even though he had thought of various possible strategies, he never thought that Huo Jun would do this!

As if feeling Zhuge Liang's gaze, Huo Jun raised the corners of his mouth and toasted Zhuge Liang with a glass of wine.Zhuge Liang also responded from afar.

One person plays chess and one person watches chess!
After the wine was gone, Huo Jun slowly stood up, patted Yi Ji on the shoulder, and said: "The book hidden in the belly of the fish is actually God's will, not man-made. Uncle Laoji will be there by then."

After saying that, Huo Jun squeezed into the crowd.

"promise!"

Although the tone was gentle, it sounded like a heavy hammer to Yi Ji's ears, making him dare not disobey.

Zhuge Liang looked at Huo Jun, who had a tiger on his chest and a calm look on his face, and couldn't help but sigh: "There is no one like Zhang Zi and a rhinoceros head like this!"

Huo Jun squeezed through the crowd, and across a row of heads, he saw Mrs. Cai crying bitterly beside Liu Biao and scolding Sun Quan.The second son, Liu Cong, looked quite frightened due to the sudden incident of ghosts and gods.Liu Bei stood beside Liu Biao and told him to be careful about ghosts and gods.Kuai Yue and Cai Mao commanded the people and maintained order.

"As Zhong Miao intended!"

Wang Can put his feet up to watch the excitement and said in a weak voice.

Huo Jun smiled without saying a word and put his hand on his sword.

After regaining his composure, Liu Biao got up from the couch and said angrily: "Call everyone to discuss the conquest of Jiangdong."

The aura of the Jingchu Overlord surged out, as if telling everyone that the aging lion was still a lion.

"No!" Everyone responded solemnly.

It seems that there is no need for stone statues in Hanshui!

　There is one more chapter, it will be out soon

　　
　
(End of this chapter)