tkworld Chapter 279 The Wedding is Imminent
Chapter 279 The Wedding is Imminent
Many people came to see the Shen family's wedding, as it was a rare occasion to witness such a grand occasion as the emperor's wedding.
When the groom's family is engaged, they usually prepare thirty kinds of auspicious gifts. The emperor, of course, cannot be compared with ordinary men, so he prepares one hundred and thirty-six kinds, each of which is unusual.
Grandma Shen was very worried and sent someone to invite her son-in-law, Han Xiao.
Du Hanyun first divorced her husband's family, then established a female household, and then got involved with Han Xiao. For the Du family, this was a complete disgrace.
Back then, Du Hanyun's sister-in-law, Qin, wanted to go to the palace to argue with Shen Shixi, thinking that if it weren't for Shen Shixi's support, would her sister-in-law have done such a scandalous thing?
As a result, Shen Shixi refused to see her and even threatened her.
The Qin family did not allow the Du family to interfere in Du Hanyun's marriage in the slightest. Du Hanyun's remarriage and childbirth were all supported and decided by the Shen family.
Du Hanjun severed ties with the Du family and treated the Shen family as her maternal family.
Before the servants of the Shen family had even left, Du Hanyun and her husband arrived with their child. She was heavily pregnant when she entered the family and gave birth to a daughter. The whole family doted on the mother and daughter like the apple of their eye.
Grandma Shen said to Han Xiao, "Xiao-ge'er, no one in the family has come back except for his second brother, Yu-ge'er. He's inexperienced, and you're not an outsider, so I won't stand on ceremony with you. This family, this important matter, will need your help to take charge until his father and son return."
Han Xiao couldn't have asked for more. He knew his wife was very grateful to the Shen family, and he was more than willing to do anything to help.
"Grandma, you're being too polite. Aren't I your grandson-in-law? At a time like this, you don't need me. If you use someone else, I'll be furious with you."
The old lady was overjoyed. "The Emperor has sent all this, and this is just a small part. The betrothal gifts will likely be much more. Oh dear, this is urgent. There are only a few days left. Even if we have the money, we won't be able to prepare the dowry. What are we going to do!"
Du Hanyun then said, "The New Year is coming soon. I will be going to the palace for a banquet later. I should be able to meet the Empress. I will ask her about the dowry. Too little is not good, and too much is not good either. I need the Empress to give me some advice."
The daughters-in-law of the Shen family have all started to consider selling their dowries to make a good impression on Shen Shixi. The dowries of a girl are accumulated by her family from the moment she is born.
Back then, when Shen Shiyan went to the Eastern Palace, the Shen family spent all their wealth to prepare a dowry for her, and she took all the good things that the other girls had with her.
Later, Shen Shixi entered the palace with a dowry of five hundred taels of silver, which was money saved up by the entire Shen family through frugality.
But Shen Shixi did not mistreat her family. In recent years, the rewards she gave during festivals and holidays have helped her third brother subsidize the family quite a bit. Not only did she return all of her dowry of five hundred taels of silver, but she also had some left over.
Next came the naming ceremony. In Shen Shixi's opinion, this was all pointless. The two of them already knew each other well, and they were about to have a baby, so why did they have to go through this?
But Li Yuanke didn't want to skip a single step.
After the matchmaker, that unlucky old man who was also the Minister of Rites, brought Shen Shixi's birth chart to the palace, he bathed and fasted before placing the birth chart on the altar in front of the ancestral portraits in the Imperial Ancestral Temple.
The Shen family also carefully placed the Emperor's birth chart before the Buddha, fearing that something might happen. They arranged for two very steady nannies to watch over it, and the old lady didn't dare to miss a single glance.
Because the offerings must be made for three days, and nothing bad can happen in the household during those three days, otherwise the marriage will be considered unlucky.
After leaving the Imperial Ancestral Temple, Li Yuanke issued an edict that anyone in the inner palace who dared to cause trouble would be severely punished.
Then, the Empress Dowager seized this opportunity and started a hunger strike. She didn't say what she wanted, but simply refused to eat. Sima Zhao's intentions were obvious.
Qingruo came to find Shen Shixi, who didn't ask why. He simply instructed Chaoen, "Go and convey the Emperor's decree to release Li Yuanyin and send him back to his own residence. From now on, he is not allowed to enter the palace without a summons. He may pay his respects to the Empress Dowager as he pleases. Tell the people at the palace gate that whenever he enters the palace, they should send someone to accompany him and not let him act alone!"
This is treating Li Yuanyin like a thief.
The Empress Dowager was relieved to hear that Li Yuanyin had been released.
When Li Yuanyin came in and kowtowed, the Empress Dowager hugged him and cried. Even though he had gained almost ten pounds, the Empress Dowager insisted that he had lost weight.
Li Yuanyin cried, "Mother, I have no face to enter the palace anymore. How can I live with myself? I've lost my title and my reputation, sob sob sob!"
The Empress Dowager was heartbroken. "Let's get through this year's New Year first. How can I live with myself if you don't come to the palace? Your wedding has also been postponed. Surely your brother won't let you be without an official position after your wedding!"
You did make a mistake after all, and now you deserve this punishment. You must not hold a grudge against your elder brother; brothers must not harbor resentment. Go and apologize to your brother properly; brothers should not hold grudges overnight!
Li Yuanyin felt relieved. "My son understands!"
No sooner had Li Yuanyin gone to Qianyuan Palace than his mother-in-law, Madam Zhu, submitted a petition to enter the palace, requesting to see Shen Shixi. This time, she did not bring Zhu Shouchun with her.
Shen Shixi needs to use Zhu Tao, so he can't avoid meeting him.
After exchanging greetings, Madam Zhu, though somewhat moved, did not prioritize catching up with Shen Shixi. Instead, she wept and said, "Who could have imagined? Originally, the plan was to send Chun'er to the palace as a candidate, to see if she could keep the Empress company there..."
Bai Kui quickly said, "Madam Zhu, please don't say such things, lest someone with ulterior motives overhear and cause misunderstandings. Miss Zhu is the one chosen by the Empress Dowager. Although the date has been postponed, the wedding will still take place. Please wait patiently for the Empress Dowager's decree!"
Madam Zhu thought to herself, "Li Yuanyin is the emperor's own brother, to put it nicely. After doing such a thing, how can he expect to have a good future?"
Will the Empress Dowager be able to protect him for a lifetime?
Now they don't even have a title anymore.
Shen Shixi knew perfectly well what Madam Zhu's purpose was. "Back then, Prince Chang Le also offended me, and I stripped him of his title in a fit of anger. Now that there is a happy event in the palace, the Emperor will surely grant him a favor."
"Madam, please go back and wait patiently. Miss Zhu will not be wronged."
Li Yuanyin knelt at the gate of Qianyuan Palace all night. The Empress Dowager didn't sleep a wink either, feeling so sorry for her youngest son that she wanted to kneel in his place. She couldn't help but complain to Qingruo.
"Yuan Yin is a simple-minded man. I told him to go and apologize, but why should he go to such lengths? The emperor wasn't like this before!"
The implication is that Li Yuanke's current penchant for being so calculating is all due to Shen Shixi's instigation.
Qingruo pondered for a moment and said, "Brothers born of the same mother are equally dear to each other. Didn't the Empress Dowager feel sorry for the Emperor's hardships fighting outside? Now that he's back and in front of you, you don't know which one to feel sorry for."
The Empress Dowager sighed, "He has Chen Yuan to care for him, why does he need my care?"
The next morning, Shen Shixi woke up and saw Li Yuanyin kneeling under the eaves, and couldn't help but laugh.
He had two thick cotton pads under his knees, wore a thick cloak and a cape, and even so, he looked like he had suffered a great ordeal, making people want to kick him a few times.
With his wedding approaching, Li Yuanke didn't want any more complications. If the Empress Dowager caused any more trouble, it would be a waste to jeopardize his marriage. So he decided to reinstate him to his former position.
They didn't want to give him the old title "Changle" anymore, so they proposed a new title, "Lü".
The Book of Changes, Sequence of Hexagrams, states: "When things are accumulated, there is propriety; therefore, it is followed by Treading."
It means etiquette and observing proper manners.
If someone is a person who observes proper etiquette, using this word would be a compliment. But for someone like Li Yuanyin, who knows nothing about etiquette, using it would be an insult.
Li Yuanke was fond of using titles to make sarcastic and sarcastic remarks about people.