Chapter 5277 The Betrothal Ceremony

Chapter 5277 The Betrothal Ceremony
The news that His Majesty was about to go to the Duke of Liang's mansion to propose marriage for Prince Jiang quickly spread, causing an uproar throughout the court and the country.

Fang Xuanling was a pillar of the late emperor and a minister of state. Countless civil and military officials were promoted by him, and even after retiring for many years, his influence has not diminished. Fang Jun is now even more powerful and favored by the emperor. Although he has had some disagreements with the emperor in the past two years, the emperor's trust in him has not diminished in the slightest. Although the emperor and his minister are usually at odds, the emperor always consults Fang Jun on important matters and readily accepts his advice.

Such a distinguished family background is almost on par with the Changsun family of yesteryear.

Which prince or nobleman who marries the youngest daughter of the Fang family will save himself thirty years of hard work...

Since the Wei, Jin and Southern and Northern Dynasties, the world has been in chaos and the people have suffered. All forces have ruled by the principle of "whoever has the strongest army and the most powerful horses shall be king". Since the recent loss and disaster, the rites and music have collapsed and the sounds of chanting have ceased in the streets and all schools and education have been abandoned. The rites and education have almost completely collapsed.

During the Sui and Tang dynasties, the world was at peace and Confucianism was revived. People devoted themselves to promoting moral virtues and elevating culture, and regarded "self-discipline and restoration of propriety" as the way of the king.

Therefore, the Zhou rites were restored.

According to the Book of Rites, there are six rites for marriage: betrothal, asking the name, accepting auspicious gifts, presenting betrothal gifts, setting the wedding date, and the wedding ceremony.

The ninth day of the twelfth lunar month.

Suitable for: marriage, betrothal, praying for blessings, sculpting and painting.

At the third quarter of Chen hour, the Chengtian Gate opened wide, and squads of imperial guards in full armor rode out. The elite "Hundred Cavalry Division" led the way, with guards on both sides. Prince Jiang, Li Yun, rode ahead on a tall horse, with a wild goose hanging from the saddle—live geese were impossible to catch in the dead of winter, so this was a frozen goose taken from the imperial treasury...

The imperial carriages of the emperor and empress followed closely behind. The ornately decorated four-wheeled carriages, surrounded by a dense array of imperial guards, drove out of Chengtian Gate, turned onto Chengtian Gate Street and headed east. Upon exiting Yanxi Gate, they saw crowds of onlookers lining both sides of the road. Everyone knew that His Majesty was going to the Fang family to propose marriage to Prince Jiang, and they cheered loudly and offered their blessings, filled with respect and love for the royal family.

Li Chengqian, who had always only heard criticism and never praise, was suddenly overcome with emotion by the people's fervor. He impulsively leaned out of the carriage and stood on the carriage shaft. Empress Su tried to pull him back, but couldn't...

The common people did not recognize the emperor, but when they saw a young man in a bright yellow robe and wearing a Liang crown suddenly standing on the imperial carriage in the center, they knew that this was His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Tang Empire.
They were immediately excited, creating a noisy and chaotic scene, shouting loudly, but miraculously they eventually came together and shouted "Long live the Emperor!"

Li Chengqian was full of pride and smiled as he greeted the people on both sides of the road.

Empress Su, who was in the carriage, was terrified. However, as the empress and mother of the nation, she could not show her face in public. She urged Li Chengqian to come back to the carriage and sit down.

Li Junxian, a guard accompanying him, was nearly scared out of his wits. They had already left the capital city, and there were no fewer than several thousand people gathered there. They were all different kinds of people, a mixed bag. If any traitors or rebels were to sneak in and take the opportunity to assassinate the king, it would be impossible to guard against them!
He quickly waved his hand, ordering his "hundred riders" to rush forward and surround the imperial carriage. He then rode up to the side of the carriage, sweating profusely, and said urgently, "Your Majesty, your health is precious and you must not be put in danger. Please return to your carriage immediately!"

Seeing the Imperial Guards in disarray, as if facing a formidable enemy, Li Chengqian realized his recklessness. Ignoring the cries of the people, he quickly ducked back into the carriage.

The Empress grabbed him, her beautiful face filled with panic, and complained, "Your Majesty is of the highest caliber and the foundation of the nation. How can you act so recklessly? What if something bad happens to you!"

Li Chengqian flicked his sleeve and slapped the Empress's hand away. Although he knew he had made a mistake, he was still stubborn: "This is the capital of my Great Tang Dynasty. The people in the city are all loyal and good citizens. How could they harm me? Your Majesty is overthinking it."

Queen: "..."

I wonder how many coups he has suffered since ascending the throne?
Those people dare to rebel, so how could they not dare to assassinate someone in the street?

However, she also knew that Li Chengqian had acted rashly in the heat of the moment, and that he must have already regretted his mistake, but stubbornly refused to admit it...

He then said no more.

But he was still dissatisfied. Why did his good intentions only earn him a cold face?
……

When the imperial carriage arrived outside Chongrenfang, the gate was wide open. Fang Xuanling and his son, dressed in court attire, were already waiting by the roadside. Upon seeing the imperial carriage approach, they hurriedly stepped forward to pay their respects.

This time, Li Chengqian did not dare to climb out of the carriage and stand on the carriage shaft. Wang De, who was accompanying him, dismounted and returned the greeting, saying loudly, "His Majesty has decreed that Chancellor Fang and Grand Commandant need not stand on ceremony. Please go into the mansion first and then we can talk."

Li Yun also dismounted and walked with them.

"Here."

The Fang family father and son respectfully agreed and led the carriage through the gate, welcoming the imperial entourage into the mansion through the open central gate.

……

Inside the main hall, laughter and cheerful conversation filled the air.

Sitting in the main seat, Li Chengqian saw Fang Xiaomei, dressed in a ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), come forward to perform a graceful curtsy. He smiled and said to Fang Xuanling, "Although I am in the palace, I know that Fang Xiaomei is a precious treasure, gentle and virtuous. Countless young men from noble families in Chang'an are eager to marry her. As the saying goes, a fair maiden is sought after by gentlemen."

Fang Xuanling humbly replied, "My daughter is unruly; Your Majesty is too kind in praising her."

Li Chengqian straightened his back and said solemnly, "Prime Minister Fang, why be so modest? The Fang family of Qinghe is of noble birth and upright character. I have heard that your family has a daughter who is exceptionally beautiful and virtuous, possessing both grace and beauty, and whose character is deeply admired by the community. I, your humble younger brother, admire her virtuous example and have come to propose marriage on behalf of my matchmaker to express my sincere feelings. I wish to offer a dowry of silk and a carriage as a token of our commitment, to uphold the traditional rites of marriage, and to establish our bond. If you would be so kind as to grant my request, we will follow the six rites of marriage, choose an auspicious day for the ceremony, and solemnly pledge our loyalty and integrity, and vow to unite our families in marriage. If our families agree to this union, our humble home will be honored, and we would be most fortunate."

As soon as these words came out, the whole hall was shocked.

The mighty emperor of the Tang Dynasty, who called himself "a humble man from a humble family," regarded seeking to marry the daughter of the Fang family as "an even greater honor," lowering his stance to the extreme.

Whether it was Fang Xuanling or Fang Jun, they quickly left their seats and bowed in greeting.

"My humble origins and frail appearance have been undeservedly favored, for which I am deeply grateful. My daughter, of modest beauty, is fortunate to have been entrusted to your esteemed household, for which I am filled with trepidation and humility. I respectfully obey your command and wish to establish a marriage alliance. I humbly request a good matchmaker to bring the auspicious invitation. I only hope that our love will be forever harmonious, and our bond enduring."

The emperor referred to himself as "a humble man from a humble family," thus lowering his status. Fang Xuanling, instead of addressing him as a member of the royal family, referred to him as "a gentleman from a humble family," which greatly pleased Emperor Li Chengqian.

As for accepting a marriage proposal on the spot without any restraint... usually, by this point, the two families have already made a private agreement and their feelings are compatible, and the process is just going with the flow.

Moreover, now that the emperor himself has come to propose marriage, even if the Fang family is unwilling, how could they possibly refuse the emperor's request?
Thus, the "betrothal" ceremony was successfully completed.

The Empress held Fang Xiuzhu's hand, took a five-phoenix gold hairpin from her hair and put it in Fang Xiuzhu's hair bun. She looked her over from side to side and said with a smile, "So beautiful!"

Fang Xiuzhu's face flushed slightly, and she said in a clear voice, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

The Empress said softly, "We were family before, and we will be family even more in the future. This is just a small gift, no need to thank me."

Fang Xiuzhu smiled gently, but felt a little strange in her heart. Why did the Empress look at her with the same doting and slightly ingratiating gaze as Gao Yang, Chang Le, and Meiniang? Was it just her imagination?

I don’t understand…

……

The betrothal ceremony was very successful.

After lunch, Li Chengqian did not return to the palace directly but went to Fang Xuanling's study, where the three of them enjoyed tea and chatted.

After taking a sip of tea, Li Chengqian looked at the bookshelves, corners, and desks piled high with manuscripts and asked in surprise, "Hasn't the dictionary already been compiled and published? Does Prime Minister Fang have another monumental work to write?"

The dictionary is a masterpiece.

Not only does it encompass and annotate almost all texts from ancient times to the present, but it also uses pinyin for phonetic annotation and retrieval, making it unprecedented and unparalleled in history.

Furthermore, the Fang family heavily subsidized the printing house, selling the books at near-cost prices through the "Great Tang Culture Revitalization Association." To date, over 10,000 copies have been distributed, ensuring that almost every village school and private academy possesses at least one copy.

Fang Xuanling sat to one side, stroking his beard, his expression a mixture of composure and smugness: "The Zhenguan Dictionary emphasizes practicality and accessibility, focusing on commonly used characters and words, including pronunciation, definitions, and example sentences. It serves as a fundamental reference book for students learning Chinese characters and looking up words. Now, this old minister intends to compile an authoritative reference book covering multiple disciplines such as philosophy, social sciences, natural sciences, engineering technology, and literature and art. It will have a wide and in-depth scope, aiming to provide students with comprehensive and systematic knowledge and information. It will be tentatively named Renhe Cihai... In addition to explanations of common characters and words, it will also include a large number of entries, biographies, historical events, scientific principles, etc. The workload will be several times that of the dictionary."

He paused, somewhat regretfully, and said, "It's just that this old minister is now old and frail, and his energy is failing. I'm afraid I won't be able to complete this monumental work in my lifetime."

Li Chengqian was shocked: "If this book is completed, it will be more authoritative than the dictionary! If there is anything that requires the court's assistance, please speak frankly, Prime Minister Fang. Whether it is the Jixian Hall in Chang'an or the Guanwen Hall in Luoyang, they can be opened to you at any time, and you can freely access the books stored in the halls."

How did ancient emperors demonstrate their achievements?

It's nothing more than civil administration and military achievements.

In the realm of civil administration, while national taxes and the lives of the people are certainly important, compiling books is of paramount importance. Otherwise, why would dynasties throughout history have spared no expense in gathering renowned scholars from across the land to compile historical records?
The existence of the Zhenguan Dictionary and the Renhe Cihai are enough to demonstrate that Li Chengqian's literary achievements were comparable to those of Emperor Taizong...

Fang Xuanling nodded with a smile: "Thank you for your understanding and support, Your Majesty... However, human strength has its limits. Just like when compiling the dictionary, this old minister plans to gather a group of old friends and choose a quiet place to compile this Cihai."

Li Chengqian nodded upon hearing this: "Prime Minister Fang, please go ahead and do it. I will grant any request you may make."

When Fang Xuanling first issued the order to compile the dictionary, the whole country followed suit, and countless reclusive scholars and great Confucianists gathered at Mount Li. Now that the Cihai dictionary is being compiled again, it is conceivable that those summoned by Fang Xuanling are also of extraordinary status and renowned throughout the land. Such a gathering of great Confucianists is enough to cause a sensation throughout the land. It would be absolutely impossible to do so without prior notification and the emperor's permission.

If the emperor misunderstands or even suspects something, that would be a very serious matter...