When Yuan Xi took out the third wild goose, everyone present couldn't hold back anymore.
What does it mean to be prepared?
At this time, Liu He felt that if he and Yuan Xi joined forces, they would not be dragged down. After all, the other party acted so cleanly and efficiently, and had mastered the essence of military tactics.
If you don't care about face.
However, for Liu He, except for the wedding ceremony which did not require the participation of a matchmaker, all other aspects of the six wedding rituals required his presence. Now that Yuan Xi had taken care of everything in one go, it saved him a lot of trouble.
In fact, the strict six rituals were based on the Zhou Dynasty etiquette system and were strictly enforced among the Han Dynasty gentry. Each step had complicated etiquette requirements and it would take at least half a year to complete, and even take several years.
So in fact, what happened today was quite rude. If it gets out, not only will it be criticized, but it will also be embarrassing for the family elders.
But Yuan Xi has no taboos now. He is an orphan after being adopted. If he loses his job, it would be a loss of face for the Yuan family. This thing does not matter to him at all now.
If Yuan Shang made a fuss about this, Yuan Xi would spread the word that Yuan Shang forced him to do it, to see who could not afford to lose face.
Liu He sighed secretly. As the son of the Han royal family, doing such a thing was enough to bring shame to the royal family. However, he was willing to do so because he had received Yuan Xi's promise.
To avenge Liu Yu.
The two main culprits who killed Liu Yu were Yuan Shu and Gongsun Zan. Gongsun Zan was dead, and Yuan Shu was left.
Liu He avenged his father out of filial piety, so he joined forces with Yuan Xi without much hesitation.
But Liu He actually didn't know that Yuan Xi tried so hard to make friends with Liu He, in addition to Youzhou, there was actually another reason.
Liu Yu was from Tancheng, Donghai, and had a very high prestige in the local area.
The Donghai Tancheng in the early Han Dynasty is the present-day Xia Pi government seat Tancheng.
When Liu He saw Yuan Xi hand the third wild goose to Huan, he knew that the marriage was settled.
He glanced at the box behind Yuan Xi and thought that the betrothal gift was just a box, which seemed a bit shabby.
Only Zhang understood that the hundred carts of wealth that Yuan Xi had sent earlier were actually betrothal gifts, and today they were just a show.
But she was also very curious about what exactly was in the box of symbolic betrothal gifts that Yuan Xi was giving today?
Seeing that all the pre-wedding ceremonies were completed, everyone felt relieved and walked out of the door one after another.
Yuan Xi's subordinates were waiting outside the house. Zhao Yun and Taishi Ci stood tall and straight like pine trees, like two door gods guarding the door.
Guo Jia was leaning against the carriage, chatting with Sun Li. He noticed that Sun Li looked wary of him and asked in confusion, "I think you are a promising kid, and I wanted to teach you some military tactics. Why do you keep avoiding me?"
Sun Li snorted coldly: "Although you are a sergeant of the young master, I think you have a bad heart!"
Guo Jia laughed when he heard this, "I am a military advisor, so of course I have strategies and ideas in my mind, but it has nothing to do with my character."
Sun Li shook his head and said, "Isn't that what I'm talking about? Every time you see my mother, your eyes are quite sneaky. You really don't look like a gentleman!"
Sun Li spoke loudly, and as soon as he spoke, all the servants in the Zhen mansion looked over.
Guo Jia's face froze, "What are you talking about, kid? Your mother is very beautiful, and everyone loves beauty. I just took a few more glances at her, and I definitely didn't have any other thoughts."
Sun Li sneered, as if asking who are you trying to fool.
Guo Jia shook his head helplessly and said, "I heard your mother's conversation was quite good. I heard that she was from Fufeng County?"
"Are you from the same clan as the Fufeng Ma family?"
Sun Li looked alert, "My mother never told me, don't try to get her, or I will complain to you!"
Guo Jia sighed and said, "Forget it, forget it. Your kindness is taken for granted. I really want to teach you how to fight."
"Don't you ever think about being able to be a personal guard by the young master's side for the rest of your life?"
"No matter how good your martial arts are, how many people can you kill on the battlefield?"
"To kill a few people is to be a warrior, but to command thousands or tens of thousands of people is to be a match for tens of thousands of people."
Sun Li snorted, "You are secretly disparaging Brother Zhao and Brother Taishi. This is not what a gentleman does."
"No," Guo Jia shook his head and said, "Do you really think they don't understand the art of war?"
"Forget it. Come to me when you have figured it out."
Sun Li wanted to say something, but he saw the main hall door slowly open, and everyone hurriedly got up and went over to wait.
The first one to come out was Zhang, who stepped aside to invite Huan and Liu He out.
Then everyone saw Yuan Xi and a stunning girl walking out slowly side by side.
The moment everyone saw the girl, they knew that this was Zhen Mi, whom Yuan Xi was going to marry.
Sun Li's eyes widened. He had been in Yecheng for some time and had seen many women from aristocratic families on the street, but none of them could compare to Zhen Mi.
Guo Jia sighed, "I now understand that the young master is calculating. He is willing to break up with the Yuan family in order to marry the girl from the Zhen family. It is really worth it."
Yuan Xi looked at everyone and said, "My marriage with the girl has been decided."
When everyone heard this, they were naturally very happy and congratulated him one after another.
However, Yuan Xi's next words shocked them greatly.
"The wedding will be held tomorrow."
Guo Jia thought to himself that this was too fast. The Art of War says that speed is of the essence in war, and this young master's move is more than just fast, it's like setting sail on the surging river, riding the wind and the current, and making rapid progress every day.
A smile appeared on his face. The young master was obviously lustful, just like himself, but his standards were higher!
As a result, Yuan Xi's next sentence made Guo Jia unable to laugh.
"There are many things to prepare for the wedding, and time is tight. I hope Mr. Fengxiao can arrange it for me."
Guo Jia wanted to yell, there are so many things to do in a marriage, and you want me to finish them in one day?
Zhao Yun Taishi Ci said, "We will help too."
Yuan Xi smiled and said, "I will trouble you all in this case. Now there is only half a day left, so please go back to your residences and prepare."
"I'll be back later."
Knowing that time was running out, everyone hurried back, leaving only Zhang, Yuan Xi and Zhen Mi on the field.
Zhang coughed and said, "I am a little tired. I will take my leave now."
She thought to herself, what's the point of talking about etiquette and rudeness? Now that her daughter has been adopted by someone else, she can no longer take care of the matter.
After Zhang left, Yuan Xi held Zhen Mi's hand and said, "Thank you for your hard work today."
Zhen Mi finally relaxed and almost couldn't stand. She leaned on Yuan Xi for a while before she regained her spirits and said softly, "It's okay. I can still hold on."
The two walked towards the small building. On the way, the Zhen Mansion was already busy. Hundreds of servants were mobilized, and large boxes were carried out to prepare Zhen Mi's dowry for her wedding tomorrow.
The two of them sat in front of the window of the small building, with half of their heads exposed, looking at the bustling streets of Yecheng below.
When Yuan Xi smelled the fragrance coming from Zhen Mi, his heart was moved and he couldn't help but reach out and hug Zhen Mi's slender waist.
Zhen Mi's body trembled, and then she gently leaned her head on Yuan Xi's shoulder.
The two of them remained silent, enjoying the rare peace and quiet.
After a while, Yuan Xi spoke up: "Beixincheng has a population of tens of thousands. It is just a small border town, far inferior to Yecheng with hundreds of thousands of people."
"If you go with me, you might not get used to it for a long time."
"And that won't be your final resting place. You may have to travel with me here and there, sleeping in the open air, and endure a lot of hardships in the next few years or even decades."
Zhen Mi whispered, "Isn't that what I expect?"
"If I stay in Yecheng, you will have more headaches, right?"
After hearing this, Yuan Xi laughed and said, "That's right, especially Yuan Shang. In order to force me to submit, he acted like a scabby dog. I doubt whether he has a mental disorder."
Zhen Mi laughed out loud: "I know what a mangy dog is. If you look down here, you can often see one on the street. It has mottled fur and runs around barking non-stop. It looks a lot like the young master Yuan Shang today."
Yuan Xi heard Zhen Mi's tone and knew that she was also quite resentful towards Yuan Shang. He smiled and said, "It's okay. There will always be a chance to come back in the future. Let's play mixed doubles together and beat him into a pig's head."
Zhen Mi couldn't help laughing out loud, and then her face turned red. She said angrily, "We can only be called husband and wife after we get married tomorrow."
"My lord, you promised me that you would take me to see all the beautiful sights in the world."
Yuan Xi felt mixed emotions as it finally came to this.
A woman like Zhen Mi should not have had such a tragic end in later generations.
In this life, I will completely cut off this tragic thread of fate.
He raised his head and looked at the sun in the sky.
Although it is winter now, the warm winter sun seems particularly warm because of the severe cold.
He sniffed the fragrance from Zhen Mi's hair and said, "Life is only a few short decades. If you live a dull life, there won't be much you can do."
"But nowadays, the world is in turmoil, and you may encounter unprecedented new things every day."
"A hundred years is too short, we must seize the day."
Zhen Mi said softly, "I also want to live to be a hundred years old with you, and see the world together."
Yuan Xi laughed: "The world is so big that I may not be able to see it all in a hundred years."
Zhen Mi asked curiously, "Really?"
"I have only heard of the Western Regions, where the land is all sand and gravel. To the south of the Han Dynasty, there are Annan and Siam. On the shore of the East China Sea, I heard there is the Penglai Fairy Mountain. Beyond the northern land is a vast sea of snow."
Yuan Xi was surprised and said, "You know a lot, but for this world, this is only a small part."
"Beyond the sea there are seas, beyond the mountains there are mountains. This world is much more vast than what we know now."
Zhen Mi's eyes lit up a little after hearing this, but then they became sad: "It's a pity that I don't know how long it will take for the world to be at peace. When that time comes, I don't know if I will still have the strength to walk."
She asked curiously, "What's in the betrothal gift box, sir?"
Yuan Xi smiled and said, "Do you want to see it now?"
Zhen Mi nodded, called the servants, and went to the house to carry the box up.
The two men knelt in front of the box. Yuan Xi lifted the lock and the lid opened with a click.
The two of them worked together to open the lid of the box.
What came into view was not gold, silver, or treasures, but an ordinary bundle of firewood, a pile of neatly stacked porcelain bottles, and a map.
The use of firewood as a betrothal gift was a tradition inherited from the Qin Dynasty during the Han Dynasty, with the intention of using firewood to strengthen the relationship between husband and wife.
Zhen Mi saw that the firewood had different shapes and asked curiously, "What is this?"
Yuan Xi said, "This is the firewood and sand I collected wherever I went."
"From Qingzhou to Yanzhou, from Youzhou to Xuzhou, I would break off branches, take sand and soil, and bring it back to put in the box."
"I hope that in the near future, we can do something like this together. Even if we are separated temporarily, I will bring these things back to you."
Zhen Mi was touched and whispered, "Your Excellency has a very unique idea of taking firewood and soil."
Yuan Xi thought, maybe it was because he was a civil engineer in his previous life?