Legend of Concubine's Daughter Minglan 知否知否 应是绿肥红瘦

63. One-day Tour Around Marquis Xiangyang's Mansion (1)

After Old Madam Sheng went back home, Sheng Family and Hai family started the six rituals for a marriage. Hai family was one of the aristocrats in Dongyang, therefore Sheng Hong decided to follow the whole set of traditional rituals of marriage. When Minglan went for her daily greeting to Wang shi, she saw a wild goose being bounded firmly on the table in the main hall of Wang's house. She poked it out of curiosity. However, with its beak bounded, it only cast a rather supercilious look at Minglan.

"It's still alive?" Minglan exclaimed. "Isn't it usually a sculptured one?"

Rulan pouted her mouth and complained, "A family of scholars for generations! They are particular about rituals. It was caught and brought here several days ago and has been thereafter treated like an ancestor of ours!"

Sheng Hong had, in particular, asked his confidant, Lord Li of Dali Temple (A government office akin to the Supreme Judicial Court of modern days) to exchange bridal gifts and make the proposal on behalf of Sheng family. As Lord Hai was about to leave the capital to take his office, time was quite limited so Lord Liu was able to bring back the eight-character paper of Lady Hai on the very same day.

T/N: Eight-character paper (生成八字) exchanged at betrothal ceremonies in arranged marriages [stating birth information of the betrothed boy or girl expressed in eight Chinese characters] to see if the two were a perfect match.

After which, Sheng Hong put on an act to ask the official matchmaker to help divine the already known eight-characters if the two were a great match, which were then placed before the spirit tablets of ancestors for blessing, getting no doubt an auspice.

Only when all that was done could the two be betrothed and the betrothal gifts be sent. The wedding ceremony was then set the next month, 18th of the twelfth month of the lunar year, a date extremely auspicious.

The end of the year was a busy time for happy events. Marquis Xiangyang, father of Pingning Princess, was celebrating his seventieth birthday by throwing a grand banquet. Sheng family, as a distant relative, plus that Changbai and Qi Heng studied with the same teacher for many years, were thus invited.

Early this morning, Cuiwei dragged Minglan out of bed for dressing up. Her overdress was a front-opening coat of silver red done by the tapestry method in fine silks and gold threads. Underneath was a pink long dress with pleats and flowers. Her thick hair was shaped into a crescent coiffure anchored by golden hairpin inlaid with jade, on the edge of the bun pinned a delicate gold ornament of a sparrow holding a pearl in mouth with its wings spread out that would shake lightly, adding a touch of smartness to Minglan. This whole set of attire was newly made when Minglan was back in Youyang. When Minglan went to visit Old Madam Sheng, she saw other two Lans also wearing their new outfits. Molan, pretty and refined in her attire, wore a light blue coat made of silk embroidered with dense branches and flowers of mangnolia. Paring with it was a cyan long dress with dark silver embroidery that best highlighted her thin waist. While Rulan looked quite rich and noble in her front-opening red coat embroidered with numerous butterflies dancing in the flowers.

Wang shi, sitting in her honored seat, lectured something about "Watch your manners and be swift to hear but slow to speak," which was apparently indicating Molan.

Upon hearing that, Minglan stole a glance at Molan who, on the contrary, remained composed without any grievance to be detected.

The carriage with a thick cotton curtain went for more than two hours before it finally arrived at Marquis Xiangyang's Mansion, which, with its front door open, had a pair of red couplets sprinkled with gold on both sides and a long string of red firecrackers hanging high. As female guests, Wang shi and the girls went in through the side door after changing from their carriages to sedan chairs used only in the marquis's mansion. Only when, after quite a while, they arrived at the second door did the females get off the sedan chairs and met the maidservants already waiting there to accept the guests.