Chapter 292: The Wedding Ceremony

Although there were many families in the common folk who were eager to marry off their daughters for a hefty dowry, when it came to marriages among wealthy families, the greater the betrothal gifts, the more thought had to be put into the dowry. Du Zhen had been separated from his wife and daughter for over a decade; now, his only daughter was marrying his only student. Even he, who was usually cold-hearted, wanted to do his best. Though he was proficient in poetry and literature, he was poor at social matters and often caused trouble, forcing Qiu Shi to gently persuade him to back off.

The Zhang family sent thirty-two carts of betrothal gifts, so the Du family’s dowry should logically be twice as much—at least sixty-four carts. Since Shen Du and Shen Can, along with Yang Rong, had visited them, many of their colleagues who had received wedding invitations also sent their family members to bring gifts. Though it was mostly out of goodwill, they still gathered quite a number of exquisite items. Yet, the most helpful were the relatives from his hometown in eastern Zhejiang, who not only brought a complete set of high-quality rosewood furniture but also lacquerware, curtains, bedding, door curtains, and fabric samples—covering nearly half of the dowry.

Although these were all necessities, neither Du Zhen nor Qiu Shi liked to owe favors without reason and initially refused to accept them. However, the relatives pleaded earnestly, some saying it was the goodwill of their fellow townspeople, others claiming they had felt guilty for taking over the Du family’s land in the past. In any case, their reasons were varied, and in the end, Qiu Shi had no choice but to accept them.

Thinking back to when he was promoted to governor, he hadn’t seen so many relatives, yet they appeared so promptly this time. Even the wise Du Zhen couldn’t help but feel puzzled.

That set of furniture clearly couldn’t have been made in just a day or two—had these people prepared it in advance?

On the day when the dowry was to be delivered, the Zhang family, led by Zhang Chao and Zhang Qi, along with two well-known noble youths, and Wan Shijie and Xia Ji, who wanted to make a fuss, dressed up and volunteered to help. Together with Sun Han from Fangling, they formed a large group of eight people who went to the Du family’s house, cheerfully delivering four boxes containing the usual foods and meats, including rice cakes and mutton.

After receiving the boxes, the Du family gathered their relatives and began distributing the dowry, attracting many onlookers along the way. Children ran around behind the strong men carrying the items.

When the large procession arrived at a alley in front of the Zhang family’s house, Zhang Jiu and many of his family members were already waiting there to welcome the dowry. They escorted the sixty-four carts of dowry to the front yard of the Zhang family’s house and arranged them in order.

Ms. Qiu of the Du family had only one daughter, so she naturally invested everything she had in her dowry. The first two items in the dowry were the manor she purchased after moving to Beijing, along with a three-section courtyard in the city. On the railing table at the front, there was inevitably a tile and six pieces of colored paper clay; followed by twenty wooden items, some sent from eastern Zhejiang and some prepared by Ms. Qiu herself—ranging from large dressing tables to carved hardwood treasure chests, from armchairs to eight-immortals tables, everything one could possibly need. After that came various utensils, cosmetics, bedding, and clothes, shoes, and socks for all seasons—everything was extremely abundant.

Since the dowry represented the bride’s family’s status, it had to be displayed for guests to see and admire. Thus, a servant from the Du family listed each item one by one, while several managers from the Zhang family opened the boxes. When the lids of the last four boxes containing gold and silver jewelry were lifted, even those guests accustomed to fine things were astonished.

There were two pairs each of golden hairpins adorned with intricate designs, gold cuffs, gold hair ornaments inlaid with gems, and pearl-encrusted gold hairpins. In addition, there were pearl necklaces, white jade bracelets, and other jewelry—various styles, old and new, but all neatly arranged. Even the few housewives who had come to help in the front yard couldn’t find anything lacking; they all nodded in approval in silence.

Although the formal wedding would take place the next day, by tradition, the Zhang family held a celebration banquet that day to welcome relatives and friends. Many gathered in the front yard to view the bride’s dowry. Those who knew the Du family well quietly discussed how such an extravagant dowry could have been assembled, their voices growing louder as excitement mounted.

“How could you not recognize it? Many of those gold and silver jewelry items are of imperial style!”

Someone muttered this, and the rumor quickly spread throughout the courtyard. Immediately, the noisy chatter ceased. Some returned to the banquet hall to continue eating, while others stood there, puzzled, staring at all the items. Among them, Zhang Fu and Zhang Jie, who were used to entering the palace on duty, could easily tell whether this was true or not. Looking at those shiny items, the brothers found an excuse to leave hastily and got into the same carriage outside.

Only after the bridal belongings had been shown to relatives and friends enough did the Zhang family’s servants begin to transport them one by one to the new courtyard. Zhang Yue rewarded the Du family’s servants who brought the items, and he himself couldn’t help but stare in awe at all the possessions in the courtyard. He had heard others whispering earlier, but his mind was occupied with wondering where these things came from. Yet what concerned him even more were the real estate assets included in Du family’s dowry. For the already fairly wealthy Du family, giving away so much at once made him worry about how his in-laws would manage.

The Du family’s bridal belongings filled Mrs. Sun, who had been somewhat worried, with great joy. So on the day of the wedding, she got up early and personally went to wake Zhang Yue, urging him to get dressed. After seeing him put on a brand-new robe of sky-blue Lu silk, she watched as he left the house to greet guests. Only then did she gently wipe her eyes with a handkerchief.

Pearl quickly pulled at Mrs. Sun’s sleeve, “Madam, it’s a joyous day—don’t let anyone see you like this.”

“I’m just happy,” Mrs. Sun replied, still staring at the empty courtyard entrance, her expression indistinguishable between sorrow and joy. “I’ve waited day after day, longing for the day he would enter official service and get married. Now I only hope he stays safe, brings honor to me and his father, and soon has a healthy son with his wife…”

Seeing Mrs. Sun start to choke up again, Pearl and Shao Yao hurried to comfort her, finally calming her down. The three of them then led their mistress back inside to freshen up and retouch her makeup. The others had stayed back earlier—some fetching water, some bringing makeup boxes. Once Mrs. Sun’s mood improved, everyone cheerfully talked about the wedding ceremony that evening.

Although Duke Zhang Fuyuan was training troops in Xuanfu and Lady Wang was too pregnant to move around easily, many military officials came, some out of respect for the duke, some due to their kinship, and some because they believed the Zhang family’s son enjoyed the emperor’s favor. Aside from a few who were very close to the Han King and didn’t come to offer congratulations, the rest filled Zhang family’s main hall, Ruiqing Hall, to capacity. Since most of them were elders, Zhang Yue spent the entire morning greeting them, smiling, and chatting. Even with his excellent memory, he was so overwhelmed that he couldn’t remember many of their faces.

According to ancient customs, the bride’s procession started after dusk. Since the Renzi day was an auspicious time determined by divination, and it also coincided with the period when Jiao Mujiao was in charge—associated with having many noble children in marriages—the auspicious time was set at the third hour of You time. As Zhang Zhuo could not return in time, Zhang You guided him in paying respects at the Ni Temple in the afternoon. Afterward, after checking the time, Zhang Yue went to Lord Anyuan Liu Shengdun in the ceremony hall to request the marriage. Naturally, various ancient rituals such as burning incense and bowing were performed. By the time Zhang Yue put on his ceremonial robes and mounted his horse, he was already sweating profusely.

Although frugality is valued in modern marriages, families of officials and meritorious individuals inevitably indulge in luxury. The roadsides were already crowded with onlookers, and the processions with music and drums attracted more passersby to stop and watch, giving Zhang Yue a taste of being under the gaze of many eyes. Fortunately, the Du family had only one daughter, Du Wan, with no brothers or sisters, so scattering red envelopes at the entrance was manageable. Yet, seeing a festive pavilion set up in what used to be a quiet place filled with guests still felt somewhat unfamiliar to him.

Since Shen Can was in charge of the wedding ceremony on the bride’s side, Zhang Yue first bowed to her before entering the main hall. There, he saw Du Zhen and Lady Qiu seated in their ceremonial robes. He stood there for a moment before stepping forward and bowing deeply three times. After rising, he saw a rare smile on Du Zhen’s face, clearly showing great satisfaction, not to mention Lady Qiu.

After the rituals, he stepped outside to wait. Soon, he heard soft voices behind him. Even though he couldn’t turn around, he knew it must be the maids leading Du Wan to say goodbye. When he saw a figure pass by, he couldn’t help but look up briefly, just in time to see a gown adorned with embroidered clouds and magpie patterns.

A moment later, he heard Du Zhen’s familiar voice from inside. But at that moment, his usually steady voice seemed slightly trembling, conveying an indescribable excitement: “In your future home, obedience is paramount—never forget to be respectful and solemn.”

After that, Lady Qiu’s voice, slightly choked up, followed: “Be utmost respectful and cautious, and do not disobey your in-laws’ orders.”

“I will strictly follow my parents’ instructions.”

Although these were all phrases well-known in ritual protocols, hearing them clearly spoken by others once again still stirred up strong emotions in Zhang Yue. It was only when Marquis Anyuan Liu Sheng pushed him gently as he left the main hall that he remembered the ceremony was over and the bridal sedan should have left by now. Once outside the gate, he watched Du Wan, covered with a red veil, board the sedan. It wasn’t until the curtain was gently lowered in front of him that, urged by his attendants, he mounted his horse and rode off at full speed, much to the amusement of the female relatives and friends sending her off.

Shen Du, the oldest among them, stood there, stroking his beard and sighing, “This groom really is something. If not for the rules requiring him to go home first and wait at the door to welcome the bride in, who knows if he would have followed all the way!”

The relatives who had come from afar saw that half of the alley in front of the Du family’s house was blocked, with a crowd of distinguished guests inside. At that moment, they all felt their trip had been worthwhile—the gifts hadn’t been given in vain—though they had grumbled secretly about being forced to make the journey.

Who would have thought that Du Zhen, who should have had his career ruined long ago, was now living such a glorious life?