"Madam..."
Seeing that Madam Yuan had made a grand plan in just a few words and was about to leave, Nanny Li couldn't help but feel extremely anxious. She took two trembling steps forward. "Are you really, really going to use Eldest Miss's embroidery? What if it's discovered..."
Madam Yuan glanced back calmly. "If you don't say anything and we don't say anything, who will know?"
Nanny Li immediately fell silent.
The mother and daughters seemed to think alike. How could they be so similar, as if they had been taught by the same master?
She wiped the sweat from her forehead and still tried her best to persuade. "What I mean is, should we ask the Prince Ning's Mansion in advance? The wedding veil of Third Miss will ultimately be inspected by the Ministry of Rites. If the Prince Ning's Mansion insists on not agreeing..."
"Oh?" Madam Yuan curled the corner of her mouth, raised her eyebrows and looked back. "Third girl, will he not agree?"
Li Wanming was huddled with Wanmo, chattering as they rummaged for chestnuts in the charcoal brazier. She was overjoyed. Hearing this, she didn't even lift her head. "How dare he! If he dares to pick on my needlework, I'll stick a whole basket of needles in his head!"
"You heard my daughter's answer, didn't you?"
Madam Yuan turned around, smiling enigmatically.
Nanny Li was startled. "Yes... yes..."
Third Miss Li was going to stick embroidery needles in the head of the heir apparent?
What else could she say...
Looking at this situation, it seemed more like a princess was marrying into the mansion rather than the daughter of a fourth - rank general!
Nanny Li murmured to herself. She had heard that Third Miss Li was the one the Heir Apparent of Prince Ning had taken a fancy to at first sight. Then he had stayed incognito in the common people for two years and was determined to marry her as his primary wife. Maybe the heir apparent just had such an extraordinary taste.
Before Madam Yuan stepped out of the room, she paused and still gave earnest instructions.
"Nanny, my daughter has grown up in the Fujian area since childhood. She is naughty by nature and doesn't understand the etiquettes. Please be more tolerant if there is anything inappropriate. However..."
Her tone changed, and she said meaningfully. "Our family's marriage has quite a lucky fate. Please don't be too rigid about the common etiquettes. For minor matters, just let Wanming do as she pleases. As long as it's not too far off, it'll do."
Nanny Li immediately had an idea in mind.
That's right!
Maybe the Heir Apparent of Prince Ning just fancied this unconstrained personality!
What was there to be afraid of about substituting the wedding veil?
As long as the person was the one the heir apparent cherished, that was enough!
"Yes, I'll definitely try my best to teach Eldest Miss embroidery and make her embroidery... a little less good." Nanny Li replied.
Madam Yuan smiled. "Thank you, Nanny."
After seeing Madam Yuan off, Nanny Li turned around. Just as she was about to call the three sisters, she saw Li Wanming, who was desperately tearing at the cloth strip on her hand with her teeth because she couldn't wait to eat the chestnuts...
She suddenly felt that Madam Yuan's decision was extremely correct.
Regardless of whether the marriage had a lucky fate or not, it was better for this girl not to touch the needle anymore.
"Eldest Miss, come. Let's continue embroidering. Next, I'll teach you the lock stitch."
"Second Miss, please turn up the lamp over there a bit."
"Third Miss..."
Nanny Li opened her mouth and said, "Just sit there and enjoy your chestnuts!"
...
Since she didn't need to sew the wedding veil and didn't have to worry about the jade belts, wedding shoes and such, Li Wanming's burden was suddenly lightened a lot.
She was happy to be carefree and started dragging Su Xiaozhu out for strolls every now and then.
This made the Ministry of Rites come to the Li Mansion and tactfully put forward their opinion. Miss Su would enter the palace in February and still had a lot of etiquettes and rules to learn. It was really not appropriate for her to go out for fun at this time.
What they meant was: Your young lady has nothing to do, but our noble lady has things to do! Keep your young lady in check and don't drag our future noble lady into the palace down with you!
Madam Yuan was extremely angry and completely confined Li Wanming to the mansion.
Don't you not want to embroider the wedding veil?
Fine!
Burning incense, tasting tea, playing the qin, chess, calligraphy, painting, cooking, flower - arranging... All the things that a noble young lady should learn, please learn them all!
Li Wanming's head felt like it was going to split. She was in a complete mess and complaining non - stop. She no longer had the time to go out for strolls.
---
On the day of Awakening of Insects, Li Wanming's wedding date was finally set.
The second day of the fourth month was a beautiful day when spring was in full bloom, suitable for marriage, proposal of marriage, engagement, sacrifice, and praying for blessings.
The bright red wedding invitation with golden lacquer characters, against the wild - growing forsythia outside the window, looked like a blazing glow had been spilled.
Beautiful scenery on a lovely spring day.
But Li Wanming was extremely bored.
She was trapped at home and could only watch helplessly as her parents welcomed and saw off guests every day, extremely busy.
Proposal of marriage, asking for the girl's name, divining for good luck...
One process after another was carried out, and the yard of the Li Mansion would be lively every now and then.
Among them, the most spectacular one was the proposal of marriage.
Only on this day did Li Wanming get to watch another wonderful show, which she would reminisce about during the long and lonely spring days.
The protagonist of this drama, of course, was her dear grandmother who had just recovered from a serious illness and still took the stage while ill...
According to the customs of the Great Sheng Dynasty, the proposal of marriage meant that the man sent someone to the woman's family to propose marriage. It was like officially making a betrothal, and gifts had to be brought.
Among the gifts, there must be a pair of betrothal geese symbolizing loyalty. The rest were several red - flower gift boxes. How many to give was entirely up to the man's will.
The betrothal geese sent by the Xiao family were the white - fronted grey geese unique to the Changshan Mountain in the northern border. There was a snow - white patch on their foreheads, just like wearing a jade crown. They held their heads high and walked with great dignity.
It was said that these were tributes sent by the Chi Hu tribe in the north and had been carefully raised in the Royal Aviary with special caregivers. It showed how much importance the Xiao family attached to this marriage by bringing them out for the proposal of marriage.
Besides the rare betrothal geese, there were also eight sedan - loads of silk and eight sedan - loads of gold, silver and jade wares.
The eight sedan - loads of silk were all top - grade cloud brocade and Shu brocade. Each piece was exquisitely woven with complex patterns. The colors were as gorgeous as the rosy clouds, and they were woven with five - colored threads. The birds, flowers, fish and insects were vivid, and auspicious clouds were winding around. Touching them was like stroking the floating clouds.
As for the eight sedan - loads of gold, silver and jade wares, every piece was a rare treasure.
The agates were carved into auspicious beasts, lifelike and with a gentle luster. The Lantian jade was carved into landscape ornaments. The jade was transparent, and the veins were like smoke, as if the magnificent mountains and rivers had been condensed into a small space. The tiger - head gold coins were each as big as a baby's fist, shining so brightly in the sun that it was hard to open one's eyes.
The most astonishing of all were the two complete sets of hair ornaments inlaid with jewels and enamel - painted, stored in the enamel boxes.
Each set was complete, including phoenix hairpins, hair pendants, earrings, necklaces, bracelets... The craftsmanship was extremely complex. The gold wires were as thin as hair, twined into patterns of birds and flowers. The kingfisher feathers were as blue as the sea and sky, with a flowing luster.
...
Even though Li Wanming was confined in the Snow - Listening Pavilion and was strictly forbidden to go out, she couldn't help but take the risk of being beaten and climbed over the wall to take a look.
It was really...
Too luxurious.
Too beautiful.
The sixteen sedan - loads of coral - red carved wooden boxes were opened and placed in the yard of her home. It was like the rosy clouds in the sky had fallen to the mortal world, piling up like a mountain in the yard and making the whole mansion glow red and extremely dazzling.
Li Wanming had never seen so many gold, silver and jewels filling the yard in her life.
She had done business before and was a fairly wealthy person. She was not a naive person. But this time, she truly understood the extravagance of the royal family.
This... this... this... This was just the proposal of marriage, not the official betrothal gift!