Lin'an Never Night

Chapter 550 is in full swing
Yang Yuan has three days of vacation, but he is not idle at all during these three days.

Busy, too busy.

Yang Yuan's wedding has been postponed twice, the first time was because of the death of his eldest brother, and the second time was because he was trapped in the north.

Yang Yuan felt that this was a bit evil and he didn't want to drag it on any longer.

After Luxi was married home, the Yang family had a lady and the family was officially established.

Otherwise, it would be a bit inappropriate for Luxi to help him with housework when he was away.

Besides, Danniang, Yuchan and the others are also beauties with great favors. If Luxi doesn't marry into their family, it will be difficult for them to marry into their family either.

Naturally, there were people who helped to prepare for the wedding. Mr. Qu, Mr. Fan, and Mr. Wang all came.

What is even more surprising is Li Fengniang. This little girl actually has quite a bit of experience in handling these matters.

It turned out that she had really learned a lot from studying etiquette with Princess Jin in the Prince Jin's Mansion.

The women from Nianhua Cottage came to Yang Mansion to help, so she naturally followed them.

Seeing that the wedding ceremony planned by Mr. Qu and Mr. Fan had many shortcomings, Li Fengniang couldn't help but give some advice.

Mr. Qu and Mr. Fan drafted the wedding rules for common people, but Yang Yuan and Lu Xi had a marriage granted by the emperor, and the wedding specifications were infinitely close to those of the royal family.

With the knowledge of Mr. Qu and Mr. Fan, they are simply not capable of understanding this level of etiquette.

What Li Fengniang learned in Prince Jin's Mansion was the formal royal etiquette.

Therefore, Li Fengniang became the recognized first female host by Mr. Qu and Mr. Fan.

Although Li Fengniang, who now has a chivalrous heart, has not been able to experience the feeling of commanding troops on the battlefield, she can command a group of grown men in the Yang Mansion, and she immediately enjoys it.

Despite having a lot of people helping him, Yang Yuan is still very busy because many things require him to make decisions personally.

For example, for the social banquet prepared for the wedding, you have to draw up the guest list yourself, right?

Yang Yuan had served in the Privy Council, the Imperial Guards, and the current Lin'an Prefecture Government. So it was not up to others to decide which colleagues needed to be invited and which did not.

For example, relatives and friends who are away from home also need to be informed of the news of the marriage. Who to inform is up to him.

Although Yang Huan's family relationships are very simple and he doesn't have many relatives, he has friends.

Just like Fan Chengda, Lu Fangweng, Yu Yunwen and others who are now being sent to other places, if you miss any one of them, won’t they blame you?
At the same time, the Yang family was also facing a series of major events, including the approaching New Year, the completion of the mansion, marriage, and promotion. This required a grand ancestor worship ceremony, which also required careful preparation.

Let's not talk about this. How do you think the radiant Yuchan, the charming Yingge, or the two Shumi Jiao and the four Jurchen girls looked so happy in the morning?
Without Mr. Yang's careful irrigation and hard work of "the flowers are the same day and night, but the people are different day and night", there would be no garden full of beauty and colorful flowers.

On the contrary, Luxi has had some free time these days.

In a few days she will officially marry into the Yang family, so it is not appropriate for her to stay in the Yang Mansion now, so she returned to the Song Family Flavor House.

Of course, Dan Niang followed her without hesitation.

The Ludan Alliance is inseparable.

Especially since Yang Yuan's confidantes were getting higher and higher in terms of ability and status, it was impossible to say that Dan Niang didn't have any psychological pressure.

So, of course, I have to stay with Luxi at this time.

However, Xiao Qingtang stayed in the Yang Mansion.

There are many complicated matters in the Yang Mansion, and she is familiar with the affairs of the Yang Mansion, so naturally she stayed here to help.

As a result, Ah Man often saw Xiao Qingtang like a housekeeper, with her figure everywhere, in the front and back yards, in the left and right rooms.

Heh..., you are trying to show off your power to me, right? Right? Right?

Ah Man only made a small move to break Qingtang's defense, making little Qingtang so angry that he kept breathing like a frog.

What did Ah Man do?

She walked in front of Qingtang with unsteady and small steps, and sat down slowly, leaning on the railing, looking weak and frail.

Under the bright sunshine, she frowned her delicate eyebrows in a relaxed manner, like a satisfied kitten, basking in the sun while licking her lips with relish...

Qingtang immediately became furious and went to find Yang Yuan.

Yang Yuan was leaning over his desk, considering the guest list and arrangements for each table. This sort of thing was really troublesome, and it made his head spin.

Qingtang happened to come to his side at this moment, and begged with lowered head and pleasing eyes, Dada, dear Dada, please take my little slave.

Yang Yuan was so angry that he pulled her over, pressed her on his knees and beat her.

Then, Ah Man saw Xiao Qingtang staggering out of Yang Yuan's study, holding on to the railing weakly, and sitting down carefully.

As soon as her buttocks touched the seat, her delicate eyebrows lightly frowned, like Xi Shi holding her heart...

Why does this scene seem familiar?
……

There was not much for Song Luxi to do, as the dowry and other things had already been prepared.

So the restless little food god ran to the kitchen.

As soon as he picked up the spatula in his hand, Lu Xi focused on the cooking and all the nervousness and anxiety disappeared.

However, Old Man Song has been worried these days.

At noon, Lu Xi cooked several dishes that suited Old Man Song's taste and served him dinner. Old Man Song finally mustered up the courage to say what he had been holding back for a long time.

"Commander Fei has always been strong... This is a trust for an orphan, Daddy really can't bear it..."

When it came to the touching part, Old Man Song couldn't help but look bright.

Song Luxi held her father's calloused hand and said softly, "My daughter has long seen that Daddy is worried. I thought it was for my daughter's marriage, but I didn't expect it to be a difficult thing. Daddy should have told me earlier."

Father Song was pleasantly surprised and asked, "Daughter, do you agree?"

Song Luxi said, "Dad, you have accommodated Danniang, Bingxin, Yuchan and the others, why can't you accommodate Miss Yuye?"

"Besides..."

Song Luxi smiled sweetly and said softly: "My second brother asked me to manage the maritime trade business and to take charge of Youqiusi because he was afraid that I would be bullied. I know it in my heart.

Now, the emperor has granted marriage to his daughter, which must have been the second brother's request.

My second brother always wanted me to be strong enough to prevent me from being bullied.

"My second brother has this kind of heart for me, so why should I be dissatisfied?"

After hearing this, Old Man Song suddenly understood.

Yes, my biggest concern was that the concubine’s status was too high, almost the same as that of the wife.

Miss Yuye used to be an official, so she must be very scheming and cunning. I’m afraid my daughter will suffer in the future.

But my daughter Luxi's marriage was arranged by the government, so there will be one more royal family member in her mother's family. Who can shake my daughter's position?

After putting his worries aside, Father Song clapped his hands and said happily, "Since this is the case, Father is relieved."

Song Luxi said, "Then..., let's ask Miss Yuye and Sister Danniang to come together and marry during the Lantern Festival, is that ok?"

People are always selfish, and Song Luxi was still reluctant to share his wedding day with Fei Yuye.

Song Laoshi was stunned when he heard this and said, "The Lantern Festival? Uh... Dad doesn't know Miss Yuye's feelings yet."

Song Luxi was surprised and asked, "Dad, you haven't asked them yet?"

Father Song spread his hands and said, "Of course I have to ask you first. If you don't agree, I will be sorry to Commander Fatty."

Song Luxi was both angry and amused, and said, "Didn't Commander Fei say in his letter that he also wrote to Miss Yuye? Did Miss Yuye come to our house to recognize her as a relative?" "No."

Song Luxi rolled his eyes at Song Laoshi and said angrily, "Dad, you really did not make a mistake in naming him. The first scout of the Tabai Army is actually a fool."

Song Laoshi asked blankly: "Did Dad do something wrong?"

Song Luxi said with a smile: "We don't even know whether Miss Yuye is willing to marry us, why are we being so sentimental here?"

Song Lao Shi said: "It's her parents' order, or their will, will she not listen?"

Song Luxi said helplessly: "Dad, let's stop guessing.

If Miss Yuye is willing, she will definitely come to you to become her godfather. If she doesn’t come, it means that she is not happy about it.”

Father Song suddenly realized, slapped his thigh and said, "That's right! In that case, let's see if she comes or not.

As long as she doesn't recognize me as her godfather, we can just pretend that nothing happened, so as to avoid embarrassment to each other."

……

Fei Yuye didn't go to find her godfather, she went to find her godmother.

Fei Yuye now truly admires Yang Yuan from the bottom of her heart.

If Yang Yuan was still single now, Yuye would not hesitate as long as he was willing to propose to the Fei family.

However, the arrogant and proud fat lady could not accept being asked to be a concubine, even a "concubine" whose status and rights were almost completely equal to those of a wife.

But her father's letter still disturbed her mind, so she thought of her godmother Li Shishi.

She knew that Yang Yuan was getting married soon, and she was 80% sure that the elusive man of her godmother was Yang Yuan.

So, she wanted to see what Li Ganniang's mood was at this moment.

……

The Goose King took charge of conferring the title of Marquis on Yang Yuan, enthroning Luxi as a princess, and arranging the wedding for the two, then he went to look for his father-in-law with a pinch of his nose.

This was something the emperor had instructed him to do, so Minister Qu did not make things difficult for him.

The father-in-law and the son-in-law discussed the idea carefully and then handed the results of their discussion to the ministers for discussion.

Because no matter whether it is to confer a title of nobility or to enthrone a princess, it must be discussed by the two ministries (Zhongshu Menxia and Privy Council) and the imperial edict and the imperial book must be issued before it can take effect.

The two governments had no objection to the appointment of Song Luxi as the eldest princess of the Song Dynasty, and everyone approved it.

Because this matter cannot be stopped. The official wants to recognize his sister. What reason do you have to stop it?
But once she becomes the emperor's sister, she will naturally be a princess.

Besides, the princess's identity had no impact on the court, so the proposal was passed smoothly.

As for Yang Yuan being conferred a title..., the prime minister and the Grand Chancellor (Vice-Chancellor) were very aware of Yang Yuan's contributions. With such great contributions, there was nothing wrong with conferring a title of nobility.

After some discussion, the ministers drafted a title for Yang Yuan: the founding marquis of Chengdu County, with a fief of 1,500 households and a fief of 200 households.

The number of households in the fiefdom is just an honorary title. Only when a number of households are added before the title can the recipient of the title enjoy the corresponding rent and taxes.

The proposal initially put forward by the King of Jin was to "entitle" 400 households to fiefdoms, but Shen Gai, Wei Liangchen and other ministers immediately raised objections.

They felt that the "actual food allowance" of 400 households was a bit too high.

When Bao Zheng was first granted the title of marquis - the founding marquis of Donghai County, his actual fiefdom was only 400 households.

If Yang Yuan was only judged by his merits, he would deserve this treatment, but he was too young and had too little experience.

In the eyes of many veteran officials, being young is itself a sin that can offset some of his political achievements or contributions.

Zhang Jun, Yang Cunzhong and others argued with reason but were ultimately defeated.

When the Goose King saw this, he was very displeased and said sarcastically, "Isn't it just that the fief of 200 households was reduced?
It doesn't matter. Yang Ziyue's family has businesses, jewelry, spices, all of which make a fortune every day. He really doesn't need these little things!"

The executive vice emperor showed his cowardice when he said this. Shen Gai, Wei Liangchen, Tang Situi and other ministers felt refreshed as if they had eaten a bowl of "lactose real snow" in midsummer.

The title, rank, and fiefdom were decided, and the next step was to discuss Yang Yuan's official position.

The Goose King seemed to be still angry and his voice became much louder.

He enumerated Yang Yuan's achievements and said loudly: "Zi Yue's achievements are unparalleled. It is only natural that he should be promoted."

Shen Gai rolled his eyelids and asked calmly, "I just wonder what position His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin plans to promote him to?"

The Goose King asked, "How about the Minister of Personnel?"

The prime minister and the senior councilors were shocked. Are you crazy?

How old is he, and he wants to be the "Grand Chancellor" of the Song Dynasty?

A mature political system would never allow the emergence of such heresy that disrupts the balance.

Shen Gai, Wei Liangchen, Tang Situi, Chen Kangbo and others all opposed it, among which Shen Gai and Wei Liangchen were particularly fierce.

The Ministry of Personnel was their base. Not to mention that Yang Yuan was very young, even if he had enough qualifications, the two prime ministers did not want him to interfere in the Ministry of Personnel.

The two sides were arguing over this, and Minister Qu stepped in to smooth things over:
"My dear gentlemen, I, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, will soon retire and return home. Yang Yuan is a top scholar who has passed the imperial examinations three times. It would be reasonable for him to come to my Ministry of Rites."

It's bullshit!

In which dynasty have you ever seen anyone become "Shao Zongbo" at the age of 25?

If his son-in-law Zhao Yu hadn't been sitting there, Wei Liangchen would have started scolding him.

So, both sides went into battle shirtless and continued to "saw".

The two sides fought back and forth, and Yang Cunzhong, Zhang Jun and others were obviously exhausted and could only lose power and humiliate their teachers and retreat step by step.

Yang Yuan was promoted from the third rank to the fifth rank as Zhao Qiu expected.

At this time, the Executive Vice Emperor came out in person.

He said, before Yang Yuan went on the diplomatic mission, he was the Tongpan of Lin'an Prefecture, a sixth-rank official. There was no reason why he could not be promoted to the fifth-rank official, right?
As a result, the strategic goals of both sides changed from a vertical struggle over rank to a horizontal game over what kind of fifth-rank official position he should be appointed to.

After the Goose King tried every possible means to get Yang Yuan into the Six Ministries and even the Secretariat, but all his goals failed, the Goose King was so angry that his face turned blue.

He said grimly, "In that case, let's ask him to go to the Censorate and make him a deputy censor-in-chief. How about that?"

Tang Shitui was still unwilling, but Shen Gai was cunning and had already seen that King Jin's patience had reached its limit.

Should he be sent to the Censorate that will be established after the reform?

Shen Gai stroked his white beard and considered it for a moment.

The candidates for the left and right censors in the Censorate have already been decided, and they are all their people.

Throwing another Yang Yuan over there now wouldn't make much difference. It would be better than letting him infiltrate the Six Ministries or the Secretariat.

Thinking of this, the Prime Minister smiled and nodded before Tang Situi could object, saying, "I think this proposal is acceptable."

He gave Wei Liangchen a look and he understood what he meant.

After a brief thought, Wei Liangchen's white eyebrows relaxed and he smiled, "I agree as well."

When Tang Shitui saw that both ministers had expressed their opinions, he realized that it would be impossible to change the situation even if he spoke out, so he had to quietly step aside.

Zhao Yu was still gloomy and looked unhappy.

He quickly glanced at his father-in-law Qu Mo from the corner of his eye, thinking, "You know what, this old man's dirty trick is quite effective."

(End of this chapter)