boyutpedia Chapter 61 One Piece of Praise
Chapter 61 One Piece of Praise
At this time, Minglan was still somewhat naive and innocent.
She didn't understand why her father didn't like her and wanted to prove herself to win his favor.
This can be seen from the smile on her face when Sheng Hong praised her.
Unless Sheng Changfeng continues to gamble with Gu Tingye using betrothal gifts as before, Minglan will never participate in the game of pitch-pot with Gu Tingye.
Just as Wang You was pondering how to get the two to play the pitch-pot game, a servant came running over, bowed, and said, "Young Master, the master requests your presence in the main hall."
"understood."
Wang You nodded and headed to the main hall.
At this time, the main hall of the Sheng family was filled with distinguished guests. Because it was a joyous occasion for the Sheng family, even though many of them held higher official positions than Sheng Hong, they could only sit at the lower end of the table.
Sheng Hong was chatting with the guests with a smile when he saw Wang You walk in. He waved and said, "Brother You, your uncle has some colleagues who want to see you and share in the joy. Come and pay your respects."
Upon hearing this, Wang You calmly walked to the center of the hall, first bowing to Sheng Hong at the head of the table, and then bowing to the guests on his left and right.
"Prince Qian greets all esteemed officials!"
"Wang the Prodigy, you need not stand on ceremony. You are already a Jinshi at such a young age. Now that I have met you, you are indeed extraordinary."
"If my sons could have even a fraction of Wang Shentong's talent, I'd be laughing in my sleep."
"Wang the Prodigy is a handsome and talented man; I wonder if he is yet engaged?"
Everyone started talking at once, some praising him, others inquiring about whether Wang You had gotten engaged.
Some people even offered to take Wang You as their student.
The person who wanted to take Wang You as a student was ostracized by others.
But even when he was being bullied, he didn't get angry. He was just giving it a try, not expecting it to actually work out. What if it did?
Wang You responded with a smile and impeccable manners, earning him further praise.
He knew why these people treated him kindly.
It wasn't because he was granted the title of Jinshi (a high-ranking scholar in the imperial examinations).
Even those present who were not Jinshi graduates had entered officialdom through hereditary privilege.
The former has ability, the latter has connections.
Although he was a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations), in their eyes, his status as the grandson of Grand Tutor Wang was not as important.
The reason why they were kind and polite to him was entirely because of his position as a compiler in the Hanlin Academy.
Most of the high-ranking officials of the third rank in the imperial court had experience working in the Hanlin Academy.
Although a Hanlin Academy scholar is only a fifth-rank official, once appointed to another official position, he can become a minister within a few years.
It can be said that the Hanlin Academy was a concentration camp for future bigwigs.
So what if Wang You is young? Nobody knows if he will be appreciated by a scholar in the Hanlin Academy, and that scholar will become an important minister in the court.
It could be said that this identity was the key to why everyone treated him with respect.
Seeing that Wang You was humble and polite, and did not become proud or arrogant because of their praise, they took Wang You seriously and introduced their younger relatives to him.
Their younger generation, however, held Wang You in low regard, believing that his success was entirely due to luck.
Wang You was praised by their father and grandfather and was the center of attention. They were all young people, so it would be strange if they were convinced.
Wang You didn't care about this. These people weren't even passersby. After Hua Lan finished giving the betrothal gifts and he returned to Shouzhou, he might never come back to Yangzhou again in this lifetime.
Sheng Hong simply watched without interrupting. When he saw that it was about time, he let Wang You stand beside him and Sheng Changbai.
About half an incense stick's time later, a servant came to report that the Yuan family's betrothal party had entered the city. Sheng Hong immediately ordered someone to invite Madam Wang.
…………
Yuan Wenchun and Gu Tingye rode in front on horseback, followed by Gou Shi in a carriage, then the servants carrying the betrothal goose, and behind them carried a box adorned with red silk.
The entire procession of betrothal gifts stretched for several miles, and the streets were lined with onlookers eager to witness the spectacle.
"As expected of a noble family in Bianjing, the scale of their betrothal is far more impressive than that of the wealthy families in Yangzhou."
"How can the wealthy families of Yangzhou compare to those of noble birth?"
"Look, those are live geese."
The onlookers gasped in astonishment, especially when they saw the pair of live geese in the wooden cage.
What is love in this world that makes people willing to die for it?
This poem describes wild geese.
Geese are not only loyal to their mates, pairing only once in their lifetime, but they also never pair again after losing a mate. When geese fly in flocks, there is a clear distinction between the eldest and youngest.
It not only symbolizes the couple's commitment to each other through life and death, but also signifies the ethical norms of "respect for elders and juniors, and no transgression" in marriage.
Since the Zhou Dynasty, wild geese have been a main gift for betrothal.
However, due to overhunting, geese became scarce, making them difficult to obtain.
Instead, they replaced it with a wooden goose or geese.
By the Song Dynasty, live geese were rarely used as the main offering in ceremonies.
Hearing the murmurs, Yuan Wenchun laughed and said, "I've often heard of the prosperity of Yangzhou in Bianjing, but I never expected that a pair of live geese could cause such a stir."
He shook his head as he spoke, a hint of disdain on his lips, practically implying that the people of Yangzhou were unsophisticated.
Gu Tingye said calmly, "I heard that Yuan Erlang personally staked out the area for half a month before capturing this pair of geese?"
"really."
Yuan Wenchun laughed and said, "My younger brother is about to come of age, but his marriage has been delayed. When he found out that the marriage was settled, he was so happy that he personally led a group of people to wait for him for half a month."
"Using live geese as the main betrothal gift is rare even in Bianjing. It's normal for the people of Yangzhou to be surprised," Gu Tingye said.
Even if geese are rare, you can catch them if you really want to.
However, you have to catch a pair of these creatures, otherwise they will starve to death if you do manage to catch them.
Therefore, whether or not a live goose can be used as the main gift depends on luck.
Either they catch two right before the betrothal, regardless of whether they are male or female, and they won't be the officiants before they die.
This is why fewer and fewer people are using wild geese as the main gift.
Bianjing is so far from Yangzhou, under these circumstances, even if a goose were caught temporarily, it would be impossible to bring it to Yangzhou alive.
Yuan Wenshao was lucky; he managed to capture a pair.
Gu Tingye's meaning was simple: the wild goose was caught by Yuan Wenshao's family themselves, and not all the wealthy families in Bianjing used live geese as the main gift.
What do you have to be so proud of?
Yuan Wenchun naturally understood the bluntness of Gu Tingye's words, but she didn't dare to get angry at him, and her face looked very ugly.
Gu Tingye ignored him and stared ahead, oblivious to his surroundings.
He had absolutely no liking for someone who would even scheme against his own younger brother.
Previously, he had been hired by the Yuan family on their betrothal boat, and Yuan Wenchun had also asked him for help.
Before he could do it, Yuan Wenchun would definitely conceal his identity, which is why he had no choice but to play along.
Now that Yuan Wenchun doesn't intend for him to embarrass the Sheng family, his only purpose is to bring honor to the Yuan family.
Upon arriving at the Sheng family residence, Yuan Wenchun would immediately introduce his identity.
Given Gu Tingye's temperament, he naturally wouldn't bother with any pretense.
The betrothal procession arrived at the Sheng family's gate. Yuan Wenchun and Gu Tingye dismounted, and Gou Shi also got off the carriage behind them.