The Huang family is a family that has a great relationship with Liu Biao, the lord of Jingzhou. Pen @ fun @ pavilion wWw. ｂｉｑUｇE。 infoThe head of the Huang family, Huang Chengyan, married the eldest daughter of the Cai family, while Liu Biao, the lord of Jingzhou, married the younger daughter of the Cai family. Relying on such a relationship, Huang Chengyan and Liu Biao became brothers-in-law. It's just that maybe because he didn't look at Liu Biao's future, Huang Chengyan didn't come out of Liu Biao. Of course, he did not live in seclusion in the countryside like Pang Degong of Lumen Mountain, but built a mansion in the north gate of Xiangyang to live. The so-called big hidden and hidden in the city, Huang Chengyan has brought this point into full play. He can be regarded as a famous family living in seclusion in the city.

The news of Zhuge Liang's marriage to the daughter of the Huang family was told to Li Sheng by himself that night. Compared with the calm face of the parties, Li Sheng was busy after hearing the news. He is helping Zhuge Liang prepare all kinds of things that need to be prepared, after all, if he wants to go to that kind of "noble" place, people are always a little worried about what is wrong. It's just that Li Sheng's preparation has the taste of being a favor. Tossed until late at night, things didn't do much well, and a lot of trouble was caused. In the end, he had to be forced by his annoyed family not to interfere.

"Really, I just can't help but want to help!" Facing Zhuge Liang, who had never been able to intervene, Li Sheng pouted. He's twenty years old, and he's going out on an errand. Usually in front of others, he always maintains a youthful appearance, which makes him feel very tired. Only in his own home, in front of his relatives and friends, can he relax a little and do some naughty behavior.

"Huh." Regarding Li Sheng's complaint, Zhuge Liang smiled lightly, he stretched out his hand to pat Li Sheng, who was half a head shorter than himself, and said with a little emotion: "Brother Sheng, thank you." ”

"Say thank you." Li Sheng smiled: "Aren't we brothers?" ”

"Yes! Brothers! Zhuge Liang nodded heavily.

The affairs at home are prepared by the "internal affairs team" headed by Zhong'er, and the affairs outside are contacted by the young matchmaker Cui Hao. He has a closer relationship with the Huang family, so naturally it is easy to meet the Huang family's parents. After a long conversation, Huang Chengyan almost smiled and narrowed his eyes in agreement.

It's a match made in heaven. Huang Chengyan is regarded as a first-class celebrity in Xiangyang, and his social status is naturally good. And although Zhuge Liang is still an ordinary white body at the moment, without any official position, he is a high-ranking disciple of Sima Huihe Pang Degong, and his prospects are also optimistic. Moreover, the Zhuge family is a famous family in Langya, and it also has a very important geographical relationship with the land of Xiangyang, and its deceased uncle Zhuge Xuan also served as Yuzhang Taishou, and the family is not very bad. Therefore, there will never be a statement that Zhuge Liang is not worthy of the other party.

The parties on both sides did not meet directly for the time being, and the matchmaker Cui Hao was running around on both sides. After nearly two months of negotiations. The Huang family finally allowed Zhuge Liang to visit the door and officially proposed to the Huang family. At the same time, they also generously agreed to another request made by the Zhuge family, which is not in line with etiquette at the moment: let the two young people meet each other before marriage, so that they can understand each other.

The daughter of a famous family is always locked in the boudoir and rarely shows her face in front of everyone. Therefore, the Huang family's promise is very important. So Zhuge Liang went to the Huang family accompanied by Cui Hao, and met the Huang family's daughter Huang Shou in a house in the Huang Mansion.

Although the two of them are seeing each other for the first time. But they know each other about each other's past. In this era, as soon as you gather, you really judge people. From the ranking of heroes who compete for dominance in the world, and from the superiority and inferiority of shoemakers' skills, people care about the locks that can be compared almost all between people. Therefore, Zhuge Liang had naturally heard of Huang Shou before, and Huang Shou naturally understood how the world could afford this young man.

The hut where they met was empty, and it was clear that Huang Shou had not yet arrived. Zhuge Liang sat there quietly and waited. After a while, he saw a tall and graceful figure slowly walking towards him

"It's so high, I can almost catch up with myself." Zhuge Liang is the first time to see such a tall woman, and the excitement in his heart is naturally needless to say. Until now, he still hasn't forgotten that he proposed his own criteria for choosing a mate to his uncle back then.

Huang Shou finally appeared in front of Zhuge Liang. Her innocent and lovely face made Zhuge Liang stunned, and his face turned red, and then he came back to his senses. It was the first time he had met a young woman other than his sister and he didn't know what to do. He stuck there, thought for a while, and finally said such a sentence sent by the ghost: "About the girl, I know a lot from Cui Hao and them." ”

"Oh." Huang Shou nodded lightly, and a smile bloomed on his lovely face: "My father also mentioned the name of my son to the slave family." She said this according to Zhuge Liang's words, and her voice was soft and gentle, which did not match her figure at all.

Since the other party heard about him, Zhuge Liang had to humble himself according to etiquette: "Xiaosheng is not talented, please bear with me." He was undoubtedly very satisfied with Huang Shou, so he always seemed so respectful when facing her. He thought it was a sign of respect for her.

However, this deference was soon shattered. Because Huang Shou in front of him said something that made him stunned: "My father never mentioned whether the son is talented or talented, only that the son is a little taller." ”

"Oh......" This unexpected answer made him freeze there.

Looking at Zhuge Liang's almost stunned appearance, Huang Shou couldn't help but smile and looked even more cute. "My father doesn't mention the name of a man who is not talented to the slave family, but only mentions the matter of height. The slave family thought that the other party must be a talent, so he was also happy to visit. Huang Shou said this directly. She didn't seem to want the tall young man in front of her to turn out to be a complete fool.

"I see. Seems she's okay with me. Thinking like this, a trace of joy rose in Zhuge Liang's heart, he peeked at the yellow ribbon that had been smiling on his face, and cautiously tentatively said: "The humble house in Longzhong is in the countryside, a little simple!" ”

"The slave family is used to living anywhere." Huang Shou replied firmly.

This simple conversation can be regarded as a marriage proposal and a marriage. The rest of the matter is not up to Zhuge Liang to decide, because it is all things that need to be in line with the etiquette system. Half a month after returning to Longzhong from the Huang family, Li Sheng took Zhuge Liang to visit the Huang family again. This time it was the invitation period, that is, on behalf of the Zhuge family, Li Sheng, the head of the Zhuge family, presented the man's dowry to the Huang family and discussed the date of marriage.

This time, Zhuge Liang did not meet Huang Shou. He stayed in the front hall with Li Sheng, with Huang Chengyan, the head of the Huang family, and watched with wide eyes, as boxes of dowry gifts were unloaded from the carriage from Surabaya and carried into the gate of the Huang family.

"What are so many? Brother Sheng, what have you prepared? Zhuge Liang looked at the box that was finally placed in front of several people and couldn't help but ask in surprise. The two of them came to Xiangyang from Longzhong empty-handed, and they didn't carry anything like a dowry with them. Because Li Sheng said that he had already prepared it in the backyard of Surabaya House in Xiangyang. Although he had long understood that Surabaya was developing very well in Xiangyang City, and although he understood that Li Sheng would never make himself look embarrassed in the recruitment, Zhuge Liang was still surprised when he really saw the carriage that Li Sheng drove to reload the dowry: "Good guy." He actually packed the dowry into twelve boxes and four carriages. It's not unprecedented, but it's very lucrative. I think that when Sister Yan and Sister Ling got married, the man didn't send so many dowry gifts! ”

"Some jewelry, some silk, some treasures, and that's what you want." Li Sheng looked at Zhuge Liang with a smile, "Don't worry, it won't cost much here." ”

"Huh?" Zhuge Liang was still a little confused: "I understand jewelry, silk, and treasures. But when you say my mind, what do you mean? ”

"Do you remember the second room in the study?" Li Sheng asked him.

"Remember, that's not where I put my old homework." Zhuge Liang nodded, a thought flashed in his mind, and he suddenly realized something: "Is it ......?" ”

"Yes." Li Sheng smiled and nodded: "I will help you put your homework and the insights you have said in these boxes." You haven't come out yet, this is something that everyone understands, if there is too much gold and silver, I'm afraid that people will say that we show it. The Huang family is a famous family, and they don't fancy things like gold and silver treasures, but directly take a fancy to you. It's obviously not appropriate to give them too much gold and silver, but it's a good thing to send more of your own efforts. Maybe your essay homework is not worth talking about with Mr. Huang Chengyan, but this kind of performance makes people think that we are sincere. This is a crucial point. Li Sheng said softly in Zhuge Liang's ear. He's been out running since the beginning of the year. Compared with Zhuge Liang, who was sitting at home studying, his current mobility seemed to be more than a step higher. The level at which he took people and things gradually became mellow.

"That's right." Zhuge Liang scratched the back of his head innocently, and his originally intelligent face showed an expression like an idiot. He had to admit that Li Sheng had thought well for him.

The box was opened, and the same dowry in front of Huang Chengyan was moved out and put outside:

The first box was opened. There are those gold jewelry in it, although the gold is always a little confused, but it has never attracted Huang Chengyan's attention. After all, these things seem to be just made by ordinary gold shops, and the work is not exquisite.

The second box was opened. Fifteen fine horses of Shu brocade were taken out. The people of the Huang family looked slightly moved. Because at the moment, the best Shu brocade is equivalent to the existence of copper coins. It's currency, and it's the kind of currency that has a lot of value.

The third box was opened. The pearl of the white flower appeared in front of everyone. This is also a rare thing, and everyone understands its preciousness. Seeing that the Zhuge family was able to come up with such a heavy dowry, even the expression on the face of a learned Confucian like Huang Chengyan couldn't help but change.

"Five thousand. These taken out by the Zhuge family are worth at least 5,000 yuan. Although he still didn't say a word, Huang Chengyan still had a trace of surprise and curiosity in his heart. He was surprised how the Zhuge family could take out so many things at once, and he wondered what was in the boxes below: "Will it still be jewelry?" ”

In one breath, the back boxes were opened. However, unlike the jewels that everyone imagined, there were only rolls of thick bamboo slips in these boxes.

"These ...... What is it? Such an unexpected scene appeared in front of Huang Chengyan, which made him unable to recognize it at once, and he asked Zhuge Liang directly.

"It's homework for the next two years." Zhuge Liang paused as he spoke, and then said: "The previous dowry gifts were actually prepared by Zixu in the name of the Zhuge family. As you all know, I'm still studying and I don't have any source of livelihood, and I don't have those expensive dowries. However, this visit was my wedding after all, so I naturally couldn't take out nothing at all. I really had no choice but to take out my previous homework. Maybe those things are not worth mentioning to Mr. Seihiko, but they also represent some of my sincere intentions. So please accept it reluctantly by Mr. Chengyan. ”

Although he didn't have much experience in activities, Zhuge Liang didn't know anything about it. When Li Sheng pointed out the reason for doing this, the words that Huang Chengyan said came out of his mouth with a nod of his head again and again. Looking at Huang Chengyan's more and more kind eyes, both Li Sheng and Zhuge Liang understood that this matter had already been done.

The next step is to discuss the timing of the wedding. Because Zhuge Liang and Li Sheng both plan to get married on the same day, and Li Sheng's current filial piety has not passed, it is not a matter of time to hold a wedding. That will be at least seven months after the enlightenment in September. It's just that the exact time is to be figured out at the moment.

In fact, the wedding in the Six Rites of Marriage is just a ceremony for everyone to celebrate. After the Huang family accepted the dowry of the Zhuge family and completed Najib, the relationship between Zhuge Liang and Huang Shou has been confirmed, and what is missing now is only the last step.

So on the front hall, Li Sheng, Zhuge Liang, Cui Hao, Huang Chengyan, and Huang Cai's five people sat around and began to discuss the time and place of the wedding. Generally speaking, Li Sheng and Zhuge Liang settled in Longzhong, so the wedding naturally had to be held in Longzhong. However, Longzhong is really some distance from Xiangyang, and there is no road the same all the way, which is somewhat inconvenient. In the love of their daughter, the people of the Huang family tried to discuss with Zhuge Liang whether to do things in this Huang Mansion. Because Huang Shou is the niece of Lord Liu Biao, Lord Liu Biao will definitely come, and those officials in Jingzhou will also come, which is hundreds or thousands of people. Although the Zhuge family's house in Longzhong is not small, it is not too big, and it will never be able to afford such a big wedding banquet.

"What do you see?" Because after saying this tactfully, Zhuge Liang, Li Sheng, and Cui Hao didn't make a sound, but just sat there dullly and drank tea, which made Huang Chengyan feel a little uneasy in his heart, and had to ask in a whisper.

"I refuse." After a long time, Li Sheng's gentle words gave Huang Chengyan a direct answer: No.

"Why?" Huang Chengyan was slightly stunned and asked a question that didn't seem very smart.

"If the wedding is held in the Huang family, it is very likely to give everyone the impression that Kong Ming is in the Huang family. This is very bad for Kong Ming's future future. Li Sheng retorted lightly.

As soon as this reason came out, the two old men on the Huang family's side immediately shut up. To be seen as a son-in-law is definitely a very serious insult. Because the status of the son-in-law is very low, which is equivalent to the so-called untouchables, when Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty conquered the Xiongnu, the sons-in-law, the untouchables, and the merchants were conscripted into the army as forced to enter the army. In the eyes of ordinary people, the son-in-law is already a person who has lost the dignity of a man and is looked down upon by everyone. Although Zhuge Liang is really not the son-in-law of the Huang family, as long as the wedding is held in the Huang family, I know what rumors there will be outside that day. Maybe things won't be very big, but it will always affect Kong Ming's reputation, which will naturally affect his future appearance.

"What about the wedding?" After being silent for a while, Huang Chengyan asked curtly. The above question was too big, he couldn't refute it, so he had to throw the question back again, and he pointed out the trouble that the Zhuge family was not suitable for holding a wedding.

Shaking his head slightly, Li Sheng said with a relaxed face: "That's not a problem. ”

"Huh?" Huang Chengyan was quite surprised and quietly waited for the other party's answer.

"It's almost a rule that weddings should be held on the man's side. But no one seems to have said that the wedding must be held in the man's house. Li Sheng looked at Huang Chengyan calmly, took a sip of tea with a smile, and calmly revealed the mystery: "Compared with the house in Longzhong, the Surabaya residence in Xiangyang is bigger and more suitable for banquets." ”

This is a fact. Huang Chengyan also lived in Surabaya. Although he was only drinking in the lobby at that time, he was really frightened by the big man of Surabaya Ju. If nothing else, the hall on the first floor alone can place fifty large round tables without looking crowded, which shows how much space there is in Surabaya. I heard that there is a courtyard wing room that is as beautiful as a fairyland on earth.

Hearing Li Sheng say that he planned to use Surabaya House as the venue for the wedding banquet, Huang Chengyan basically had nothing to say, except for one point: "Then what about your business that day?" I heard that the income of living in Surabaya for a day is very high. ”

"So what?" Li Sheng smiled and asked, "Life is not just about money. For me, getting money is just to be happier, after all, there are some things that need money to support it, but that's about it. If I really want to exchange my happiness for money, I will never do it. Especially when it comes to the matter at hand, getting married is an important thing for everyone. ”

"Oh!" An appreciative smile bloomed on Huang Chengyan's face. Although he didn't know much about Li Sheng, he had only heard rumors about this young man hastily, but after having such a conversation with Qi today, he had to admit that he was a little satisfied with him in the form of "love at first sight". Especially this attitude towards money.

"This is a man who does great things." Huang Chengyan thought so in his heart. Even though his main merit now is in the "business" that is despised by others, Huang Chengyan does not look down on him because of this. Because he thinks that business is also very important.

"Then do as you say." Huang Chengyan finally nodded down, he didn't have any opinion on it.

"Okay." Seeing that this matter was going well, Li Sheng also had a smile on his face.

When that's all that is said and done, maybe it's time to get up and go back.

Don't say anything about the problem that Zhuge Liang hasn't seen Huang Shou's fiancée yet. Because it's simply not allowed. It's made of etiquette, and few people can be special. Of course, Li Sheng, who has not officially confirmed a similar relationship with Zhuge Liang and Huang Shou, is an exception. Since they have not yet gone through the six ceremonies, Deng'er and Li Sheng can still see each other every day. This is also what Li Sheng hopes for now. He seemed to be planning to postpone the rite of passage that would sooner or later be performed between him and the bell.

However, just as Li Sheng, Zhuge Liang, and Cui Hao were about to get up, Mr. Huang Chengyan "called" them. In fact, it wasn't a call, it just reopened the topic that made Li Sheng have to sit down again: "Is Zixuxian's nephew going to marry Kong Ming on the same day?" ”

"Yes." Li Sheng nodded lightly.

"Does the woman still have parents? Who is the matchmaker? Who will be the high hall on your side? If only Kong Ming is married, you, as an elder brother, can naturally afford the responsibility of a parent. But now that you want to get married, you have to find some other elders to represent you. The Zhuge family is also a famous family, but it is categorical that it cannot be combined with the countryside. I think I will be ridiculed after all if I don't follow the etiquette system. Huang Chengyan said worriedly: "You are Kong Ming's brother, I can't bear to let you make a fool of yourself on this issue." Although the words are a bit harsh, they are very true.

"This?" Li Sheng froze. These days, he is planning for Zhuge Liang's marriage, and he hasn't thought about how to solve his marriage for a while.

The woman must have no parents, and Li Ying's descendants may really have some left at the moment, but they don't have any understanding of themselves in Jingzhou. As for the matchmaker, he may be able to catch this Cui Hao to make up the numbers. And the rest of the man's parents can also let their teacher Sima Hui take the role. Although Huang Zhong, Wei Yan, Peng Ling, and Xu Ding are also their masters, they have no reputation, and they are really not suitable to be their parents on such occasions. After all, the current atmosphere of emphasizing literature over military force in Jingzhou is still very heavy, especially for those generals who started from white.

"That's about what it looks like." Li Sheng's eyes widened and he told Huang Chengyan about his idea of letting Cui Hao continue to be a matchmaker and letting the teacher Sima Hui be the man's parent. Of course, he also mentioned one thing: "There is no one to be the parent on the woman's side." ”

"I thought I might be able to help you with that. Tomorrow you bring the bell, and I will set up a table at home, and invite a few of my relatives and friends to come and have a gathering, and then talk about it. I think there will always be some of them who will be the parents of the bell. After all, it's just a small favor, not a difficult thing. Huang Chengyan thought for a while and said. Because Li Sheng was pleasing to the eye, he wanted to help Li Sheng. Although he just wanted to invite someone from his relatives and friends, he already had a plan in his heart about who that person was.

After thanking Mr. Huang Chengyan, the three young men left. Since there was still the Huang family's banquet tomorrow, they could not return to their respective homes, so they went to Li Sheng's Surabaya to stay overnight. And Li Sheng immediately sent someone back to Longzhong's house to pick up the bell. Tomorrow, she is also a very important protagonist and must not be absent.

Everything is ready to go. The four of them went to Huang's house for a banquet the next day. Although the family banquet started at noon, as juniors, they had to go to the Huang family to visit the elders earlier. At present, Zhuge Liang has established a relationship with Huang Shou, so Huang Chengyan naturally became the parent of Li Sheng and Zhong'er. In such a situation, they cannot be rude.

"I'm sorry uncles. We're sorry for being late, and we're sorry to keep you waiting. Li Sheng and the others, under the leadership of the Huang family, found a few squares before sitting down, but quickly stood up and saluted the elders above with their fists folded.

"What a polite young man." All the elders had satisfied smiles on their faces. The humility of Li Sheng and others gave them a good initial impression. Most of them saw Li Sheng for the first time. The so-called "hearing is false, seeing is believing", although they often know some things about this young man from others, they only listen lightly, and do not have any feelings about this young man. It wasn't until this moment, when they saw it with their own eyes, that they smiled and admitted that this young man was indeed good.

Because it is pleasing to the eye, so you have the heart to accept each other. When Huang Chengyan's relatives and friends thought that Li Sheng and the others were very good, a conversation between the young and the elderly began before this banquet.

On the one hand, it is the welcome of Quyi, and on the other hand, it is the care of Lehehe. Although most of what the two sides said was focused on things that were not of much use to poetry and rhetoric, with the intentional or unintentional cooperation of both sides, Li Sheng talked to these elders more and more speculatively. They all looked at Li Sheng with a smile, and the trace of satisfaction on their faces became stronger and stronger.

Zhong'er knelt quietly beside Li Sheng, and grabbed the corner of his clothes tightly as if she was afraid that he would leave. Growing up, she was not as naughty as she used to be when she was a child, perhaps because of the changes she experienced, she became unusually quiet and shy. She has become a lot, and in addition to her quiet personality, she has also become more and more beautiful. When Li Sheng was talking to those elders, she always stared at her tightly with Shui Lingling's big eyes, as if she wanted to completely reflect his figure in her mind. Maybe the only thing she hasn't changed over the years is the attachment to Li Sheng that is engraved into her bones. In fact, it cannot be said that there has been no change, but the change has developed in a deeper direction.

The two sides are talking smoothly. Suddenly, the hall came to report: "Lord Liu Biao, the state pastor, is visiting with his wife." ”

"Lord Liu Biao?" Taken aback by this news, whether it was Li Sheng, Zhuge Liang, and Cui Hao, they all seemed to think of the unusual banquet at the moment.

"Perhaps, the candidate in Mr. Huang's mind is ......" Cui Hao and Zhuge Liang glanced at each other and nodded secretly: "It seems that Mr. Huang Chengyan is ready to do us a big favor." ”

The next thing was as Cui Hao and Zhuge Liang expected: Liu Biao, Lord Liu Jingsheng and Mrs. Cai were overjoyed to see Zhong'er at the banquet, and they recognized Zhong'er as their righteous daughter and became the parents of Zhong'er's side.

"This ...... It's weird, isn't it? After the banquet, Lord Liu Biao and his wife left, leaving Li Sheng and others and Huang Chengyan present. Li Sheng asked the doubts in his heart like this.

"Don't you think this will be useful for your future career? You and Zhong'er got married, and nominally became Lord Liu Biao's godson-in-law. As long as you give some gifts to Lord Liu Biao and accept the Cai family during the New Year's holidays, you can basically be an official if you want to be an official. Huang Chengyan looked at Li Sheng with a smile.

"However, why did Lord Liu Biao just come today, and why did Mr. Huang Chengyan and the friends and relatives you invited not say a word at the banquet, and only let Lord Liu Biao recognize this relative?" Li Sheng still felt a little awkward in his heart: "Don't tell me that this is a reason why Lord Liu Biao likes it when he sees it?" Because that's less than a 1 in 10,000 chance. ”

"Hehe, it's good if you understand." Huang Chengyan smiled happily: "In fact, I asked Brother Jingsheng for it." ”

"Why?" Li Sheng asked him: "This thing seems to be only good for me, and not good for him at all." ”

"How can it be that there is no benefit at all? If there is really no benefit at all, then the kinship between me and Jingsheng alone will not be able to do this at all. Huang Chengyan shook his head in denial.

"Then do you think this matter is of any benefit to the Governor of the State?" Li Sheng asked him.

"Fame, the first thing Lord Liu Biao got in this matter is fame. You are the grandson of Li Yinggong, a model in the world, and Zhong'er is the niece of Li Yinggong. Although Li Yinggong has been dead for many years, his status in the hearts of the world's soldiers is still very lofty. And you, as the heirs of the family, naturally inherited part of this reputation. In addition, you are a senior disciple of Sima Shuijing. People outside Jingzhou may not know you, but within Jingzhou, you are regarded as a leader. In such a situation, Lord Liu Biao must try to win you over as much as possible no matter what. One is to ensure his reputation among the sons. Second, it is also to be able to better win over the Shizi in Jingzhou. After all, everyone understands that to fight the world is actually to fight talents. At present, Lord Liu Biao's status among Jingzhou talents is not high. In order to change this situation, he naturally had to do something. Huang Chengyan explained with a smile.

"I see." Li Sheng, Cui Hao, and Zhuge Liang were all a little stunned: "This is very guaranteed for Lord Liu Biao's image of Mingjun." And just like that, recognizing a godfather and giving some gifts at the wedding, it is generally easy to gain the loyalty of others. ”

"Hehe, that's it." Huang Chengyan nodded approvingly.

Just as he was talking, suddenly a person ran outside the door, and shouted loudly: "Li Sheng was appointed as the commander of Xiyang County, and he was allowed to go to Xiyang at the end of October after his filial piety was married." ”

"Huo, Lord Liu Biao's order came really quickly." The crowd sighed. immediately turned his gaze to Li Sheng, the protagonist of this matter: "You guessed it again, this can really be regarded as a three-happiness coming." ”